ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast ? U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging their compound in Ivory Coast on Wednesday in fighting that left at least four dead and 10 wounded in a third day of unrest in the divided West African nation.

Peacekeepers and staff were evacuating the scene of the violence in the government-held south. They also were leaving a nearby town where they received threats of violence. In the main city of Abidjan, U.N. soldiers fired shots into the air and launched tear gas grenades at demonstrators for a second day.

U.N. Security Council President Augustine Mahiga called Wednesday for President Laurent Gbagbo to rein in the unrest and said sanctions were an option.

Gbagbo responded with a call for supporters to end three days of violent protests, telling them to go home and asking fearful workers to return to work.