Yamoussoukro as well as gunfire erupted inwards other cities on Tuesday, singling farther upheaval within the safety forces but equally it seemed the authorities settled a mutiny inwards the army.
The unrest appeared to convey started inwards Yamoussoukro, where residents said armed men inwards uniform broke into the armoury at the Zambakro armed forces grooming military camp as well as also looted weapons from 2 police pull stations.
An teacher at the military camp said it was started yesteryear soldiers grooming for deployment equally U.N. peacekeepers inwards Republic of Mali who were protesting at the government’s payment of bonuses to a grouping of to a greater extent than frequently than non old rebels to destination a mutiny before this month.
“They also desire the bonuses,” said the officer, who asked non to locomote named equally he was non authorised to speak to the press.
The officeholder said 2 soldiers were killed when they approached a military camp belonging to the elite Republican Guard as well as others were wounded as well as receiving treatment. H5N1 local journalist confirmed seeing the bodies of the dead soldiers.
The local governor was trying to negotiate an destination to the unrest, the officeholder added.
Yamoussoukro is Ivory Coast’s official capital, though all authorities ministries equally good equally parliament are located inwards the principal commercial city, Abidjan.
Yaya Ouattara, caput of the local youth fly of the ruling RDR party inwards Yamoussoukro, said the soldiers stole several authorities cars as well as were firing shots inwards the air.
“Everyone is indoors. Yamoussoukro is empty.”
Gunfire was also heard inwards Ivory Coast’s mo largest city, Bouake, equally good equally inwards Man as well as Daloa, a major trading hub for Ivory Coast’s world-leading cocoa sector.
Residents inwards those cities said it was gendarmes, who are paramilitary police, firing into the air. Reuters could non independently verify the residents’ accounts, nor was it instantly clear why they were protesting.
H5N1 spokesman for the national gendarmerie declined to comment before he was fully briefed.
In Bouake, the epicentre of the regular army revolt before this month, members of the mutiny over again took to the streets on Tuesday as well as encircled the gendarmes’ base of operations there.
“We heard shooting from the gendarmes’ military camp as well as nosotros went to come across what was happening. The gendarmes said they were non happy but didn’t desire to talk,” said Seydou Camara, i of the mutiny’s leaders.
Cote d'Ivoire has emerged from a 2002-2011 crisis marked yesteryear 2 civil wars equally i of the world’s fastest-growing economies nether the leadership of President Alassane Ouattara.
However, it has struggled to comprise growing unrest over the yesteryear 2 weeks equally a strike yesteryear world sector workers’ escalated as well as old rebel fighters, at nowadays integrated into the army, mutinied.
