Soldiers in Ivory Coast's second-largest city had surrounded the residence where officials were negotiating a deal to end an army mutiny, as gunfire was also reported in the commercial capital of Abidjan, raising fears the crisis was far from over.
An Associated Press reporter in Bouake, in central Ivory Coast yesterday saw hundreds of soldiers converge on the home of a local official where the talks were taking place, and some fired their weapons into the air. Inside, a government delegation led by Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi was meeting with representatives of soldiers who kicked off the mutiny a week ago. The uprising re-ignited security worries in the world's top cocoa producer and Africa's fastest-growing economy.
The Bouake delegation also included the armed forces chief of staff and the head of the gendarmes, both of whom were appointed in a shake-up this week.
Soldiers controlled the main roads in Bouake, and phone service to the city was severely impaired.
In Abidjan, witnesses reported gunfire at military installations in the residential Cocody district and in Plateau, where Camp Gallieni, the army headquarters, is located.
A gendarmerie official in Plateau, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press, said he heard shots near the gendarmerie headquarters there. "They chased our guys from their post," he said, referring to the mutinous soldiers.
At the Akouedo military camp in Cocody, gunfire began at around 9 PM, said resident Emmanuel Assouan, who lives nearby.
"A barricade was erected by soldiers at the entrance to the camp. The shots are continuing to intensify," Assouan said.
The African Development Bank, which has its headquarters in Abidjan, sent out an alert advising staffers to stay home.
Last week's mutiny quickly spread to cities throughout the country, including Abidjan, before President Alassane Ouattara announced Jan 7 that a deal had been reached and that he would consider the soldiers' demands. The soldiers are seeking unpaid bonuses, higher pay, faster promotions and improved living conditions.
However, the details of the deal were not made public, and it was unclear whether all soldiers would accept them.
Yesterday, a military official with knowledge of the negotiations said the government was resisting paying bonuses of nearly USD 20,000 each for an unspecified number of soldiers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to give his name.
Ouattara and some other Ivorians have expressed frustration with the soldiers' tactics. Before the talks began yesterday, soldiers fired weapons to disperse a protest by civilians in Bouake who were angry that the standoff had disrupted economic activity in the city, said Fanta Kourouma, a Bouake resident.
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