11 April 2011 Last updated at 12:23 ET Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo has been detained in Abidjan and placed under UN police guard. He was arrested as forces of the internationally-recognised successor Alassane Ouattara and French tanks advanced on his residence. Mr Gbagbo had been refusing to cede power, saying he had won November’s presidential election. France said pro-Ouattara troops had detained him, but aides to Mr Gbagbo said it was French special forces. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the detention of Mr Gbagbo had brought to an end months of unnecessary conflict, and the UN would support the new government. UN peacekeepers had accused pro-Gbagbo forces of endangering the civilian population and asked France, the former colonial power, to take out the defiant leader's heavy weapons. There have been allegations of atrocities by both pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces, and the UN has reports of more than 1000 people being killed and at least 100000 fleeing the country. Ivory Coast's permanent representative to the UN, Youssoufou Bamba, said Mr Gbagbo would stand trial. In London, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said that if charges were brought, Mr Gbagbo should be tried in an orderly manner. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Washington that the arrest of Mr Gbagbo sent a signal to dictators that they may not disregard the voice of their own people in free and fair elections. Armoured column UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said Mr Gbagbo