Ivory Coast’s newly appointed ambassador to the United Nations has warned the country is “on the brink of genocide” following last month’s disputed presidential election. President Laurent Gbagbo has refused to relinquish power to Alassane Ouattara, who is widely regarded as the winner of the election. Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba spoke in New York after being formally welcomed at the U.N.’s headquarters.

Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba: “172 people killed, only because they want to demonstrate, they want to speak out, they want to defend the will of the people. We think it’s not acceptable. That’s one of the messages I tried to get across during the conversations I’ve conducted so far, to tell we are on the brink of genocide. Something should be done.”

Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba was appointed by Alassane Ouattara after last month’s election. Alain Le Roy, the head of the U.N. peacekeeping operation in Ivory Coast, has accused President Gbagbo of using the airwaves to instigate violence.

Alain Le Roy: “The declarations I hear on the Ivorian State Television are concerning us and shocking us, because they clearly instigate the population to turn against the United Mission to Ivory Coast, instigate towards hatred. It’s very clear. That’s how we interpret the incident that happened yesterday at Yopougon that everybody saw. It’s clearly a direct consequence of all the appeals to hatred, lies and anti-ONUCI propaganda which is advanced by the RTI.”