IVORY COAST CLASHES
Gunmen in Ivory Coast loot base of rapid response unit
The raid is the latest outburst of violence after months of military mutinies
Abidjan — Gunmen, some of them in military uniforms, attacked the base of an elite security unit in Ivory Coast’s economic capital and stole weapons during a series of overnight clashes, the defence ministry says. The raid, late on Wednesday in Abidjan, was the latest outburst of violence after months of military mutinies. It came just hours after the government reshuffled key security posts, and two days before Ivory Coast hosts an event that will bring in thousands from around the French-speaking world. Shooting broke out at the national police academy in Abidjan’s Cocody neighbourhood and lasted for an hour, according to one witness. The academy houses a rapid response unit composed of police officers, gendarmes and soldiers that is one of the best-equipped units in the Ivorian security forces. "The police school, which houses a rapid response detachment, was attacked by armed men, visibly with the goal of taking weapons," Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko said during a visit to th...
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