Similar clashes rocked the cocoa and rubber growing area in November 1999, when as many as 12,000 migrants fled their homes and returned to Burkina Faso. The official death toll then was five. Residents said a Kroumen girl aged eight had been killed along with two Burkinabe in the latest clashes. The evacuation followed threats from the Kroumen to kill all outsiders left in the forest. Officials in the main city Abidjan said a team had been sent to investigate.
Ivory Coast is the world's top cocoa producer.
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