Sound of shooting in Ivory Coast as soldiers protest cancelled call for bonuses
Abidjan — Gunfire erupted on Friday in several locations in Ivory Coast, including the military headquarters in the commercial capital Abidjan, as anger spread following a decision by some leaders of a group of mutineers to drop demands for bonuses. The protests by soldiers, most of them former rebel fighters who helped bring President Alassane Ouattara to power, began in the second largest city, Bouake, overnight before spreading to Abidjan and the northern town of Odienne. The unrest came a day after a spokesperson for thousands of soldiers who participated in a January mutiny, which paralysed parts of the world’s top cocoa grower, said the group would forego demands for more money. "That’s not what they were meant to say," said one of the mutiny leaders in Bouake, who asked not to be named, explaining the reaction of the soldiers to the announcement. "Soldiers are at the entrances to the city. We won’t close it off for the moment …. Other soldiers are also deployed inside the cit...
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