The commercial capital of Ivory Coast, Abidjan, has
been hit by gunfire, a local resident and a soldier have
confirmed to Reuters. The gunfire was heard at a
military base known as “old Akouedo.”
Reuters quotes a soldier as saying, “Shooting has
started in our camp too,” the particular camp is located
in a residential section of the city. Abidjan has a
population of nearly 5 million inhabitants.
Meanwhile, a day after ex soldiers took over three cities
in Ivory Coast, fresh gunfire was heard early Saturday
morning in the Ivorian town of Bouake, where the
mutiny started on Friday.
“ The shooting is very heavy right now at the
3rd Battalion. I'm nearby and I hear it like it
was right next to us. ”
It was not immediately clear what provoked the fresh
gunfire, a member of the uprising said soldiers had
seen what they considered suspicious movements
outside the camp in Bouake and the action was to
discourage the movements.
The movement could be the result of reinforcements
the army sent to the town. The government confirmed
that they were ready to listen to the grievances of the
soldiers. Who according to a resident and a soldier
were mutinying over salaries and bonuses.
“The shooting is very heavy right now at the 3rd
Battalion. I’m nearby and I hear it like it was right next
to us,” resident Konan Benoit told Reuters by telephone
as gunfire could be heard on the line.
The renegade soldiers have controlled the city of
around a half million residents since taking up positions
at key entry points early on Friday.
Similar mutinies also occurred in two of the West
African nation’s other main cities on Friday as the
movement appeared to spread.
Africanews
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