Officials in the West African nation of Ivory Coast say soldiers have overrun police stations and seized the country's second-largest city, Bouake.

It has been six years since the West African nation emerged from a civil war, during which Bouake was the headquarters of the rebellion.

NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton said there were also reports of gunfire in two other cities, Daloa and Korhogo, and that it wasn't clear whether the attacks were a mutiny by current or former troops.

"Troops reportedly seized weapons from police stations and took up positions at the entrance to Bouake. One soldier says former fighters integrated into Ivory Coast's army were demanding bonuses of $8,000 apiece — plus a house. ... "A statement from Ivorian Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi has called on soldiers to remain calm and return to their barracks, to allow, he says, for lasting solutions to the latest crisis in Ivory Coast, which has recently been burnishing its democratic credentials."



A member of the national assembly representing Bouake, Bema Fofana, told the BBC that "the soldiers did not appear to have a leader or spokesman, making it difficult to negotiate with them," the broadcaster reported, and that "most of the soldiers were former rebels who were integrated into the army after the civil war."

The BBC also reported that a resident who asked not to be identified said soldiers armed with automatic rifles "fired at the offices of the state broadcaster in the city."



"They are heavily armed and parading through the city of Daloa," a student named Karim Sanogo told The Associated Press. "Security forces have abandoned their posts. Everyone has returned home to seek shelter."

Earlier this year, a terrorist attack in a tourist city on the country's coast threatened the fragile peace sought after the civil war. In March, militants from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb killed more than a dozen people at beach hotels, as we reported.

"This country, once an oasis of peace, security, stability and prosperity, is emerging from a devastating decade of political violence and a civil war," Ofeibea reported at the time. "The economy was on the rebound."</s>Officials in the West African nation of Ivory Coast say soldiers have overrun police stations and seized the country's second-largest city, Bouake.

It has been six years since the West African nation emerged from a civil war, during which Bouake was the headquarters of the rebellion.

NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton said there were also reports of gunfire in two other cities, Daloa and Korhogo, and that it wasn't clear whether the attacks were a mutiny by current or former troops.

"Troops reportedly seized weapons from police stations and took up positions at the entrance to Bouake. One soldier says former fighters integrated into Ivory Coast's army were demanding bonuses of $8,000 apiece — plus a house. ... "A statement from Ivorian Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi has called on soldiers to remain calm and return to their barracks, to allow, he says, for lasting solutions to the latest crisis in Ivory Coast, which has recently been burnishing its democratic credentials."



A member of the national assembly representing Bouake, Bema Fofana, told the BBC that "the soldiers did not appear to have a leader or spokesman, making it difficult to negotiate with them," the broadcaster reported, and that "most of the soldiers were former rebels who were integrated into the army after the civil war."

The BBC also reported that a resident who asked not to be identified said soldiers armed with automatic rifles "fired at the offices of the state broadcaster in the city."



"They are heavily armed and parading through the city of Daloa," a student named Karim Sanogo told The Associated Press. "Security forces have abandoned their posts. Everyone has returned home to seek shelter."

Earlier this year, a terrorist attack in a tourist city on the country's coast threatened the fragile peace sought after the civil war. In March, militants from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb killed more than a dozen people at beach hotels, as we reported.

"This country, once an oasis of peace, security, stability and prosperity, is emerging from a devastating decade of political violence and a civil war," Ofeibea reported at the time. "The economy was on the rebound."</s>A two-day mutiny among soldiers in the Ivory Coast has come to an end, according to the country's president. Alassane Ouattara announced Saturday that the government has struck a deal with the mutineers.

The revolt, which began Friday in Boake, the country's second-largest city, soon spread to cities and towns nationwide. By Saturday, parts of the Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan, were on lockdown, as gunfire was reported at the military base on the edge of the city.

There have been no immediate reports of casualties.

As NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton notes, the soldiers' grievances center on bonus pay and living conditions. "One soldier says former fighters integrated into Ivory Coast's army were demanding bonuses of $8,000 apiece — plus a house," Ofeibea reported Friday for the Newscast unit.

Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi flew up to Boake to negotiate a deal with the rebellious soldiers.

Ouattara announced it afterward to government ministers and reporters, Reuters reports. He said the government "had agreed to take into account the soldiers' demands," according to the news service, while also offering this rebuke:

"I would like to say that this manner of making demands is not appropriate. It tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts to revive the economy."

Ofeibea reports the president has asked the soldiers to return to their barracks.

It is believed that many of the mutineers are former rebels, who joined the Ivorian army only after the country's 10-year civil war ended in 2011. The city of Bouake had played a central role as a rebel stronghold during that war.</s>ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Soldiers launched mutinies in three cities across Ivory Coast on Friday, authorities said, demanding higher pay and bringing the threat of unrest back to Africa's fastest-growing economy.

Gunfire rang out across Bouake, the West African nation's second-largest city, starting around 1 a.m., according to residents. Similar mutinies erupted later in Daloa, in the central region, and Korhogo in the north.

"They are heavily armed and parading through the city of Daloa," said Karim Sanogo, a student who lives there. "Security forces have abandoned their posts. Everyone has returned home to seek shelter."

Defense Minister Alain Donwahi said discussions were underway with the soldiers, and he called on all troops to return to their barracks.

A former French colony, Ivory Coast's reputation as a model of political stability in a region better known for conflict was shattered after its first coup in 1999. The crisis reached rock bottom in 2002, when fighting erupted in the city of Abidjan.

That was the start of a civil war that ended months later in a stalemate that left rebels in control of the northern half of the country, with their stronghold in Bouake.

A breakthrough came in 2007 with a peace deal that saw rebel leader Guillaume Soro appointed prime minister in a unity government.

The soldiers, however, now say not all the promises made in that 2007 agreement were implemented.

In more recent unrest, some 3,000 people died in violence after longtime President Laurent Gbagbo lost the 2010 presidential election and then refused to cede power to victor Alassane Ouattara. After a military intervention, Ouattara became president and Gbagbo now faces charges at the International Criminal Court.

France has a military presence in Ivory Coast, with most of its 900 troops stationed in and near Abidjan. It was not announced whether the Ivory Coast government had asked for their help Friday in calming the situation, as it has in the past.</s>Officials in the West African nation of Ivory Coast say soldiers have overrun police stations and seized the country's second-largest city, Bouake.

It has been six years since the West African nation emerged from a civil war, during which Bouake was the headquarters of the rebellion.

NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton said there were also reports of gunfire in two other cities, Daloa and Korhogo, and that it wasn't clear whether the attacks were a mutiny by current or former troops.

"Troops reportedly seized weapons from police stations and took up positions at the entrance to Bouake. One soldier says former fighters integrated into Ivory Coast's army were demanding bonuses of $8,000 apiece — plus a house. "A statement from Ivorian Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi has called on soldiers to remain calm and return to their barracks, to allow, he says, for lasting solutions to the latest crisis in Ivory Coast, which has recently been burnishing its democratic credentials."



A member of the national assembly representing Bouake, Bema Fofana, told the BBC that "the soldiers did not appear to have a leader or spokesman, making it difficult to negotiate with them," the broadcaster reported, and that "most of the soldiers were former rebels who were integrated into the army after the civil war."

The BBC also reported that a resident who asked not to be identified said soldiers armed with automatic rifles "fired at the offices of the state broadcaster in the city."



"They are heavily armed and parading through the city of Daloa," a student named Karim Sanogo told The Associated Press. "Security forces have abandoned their posts. Everyone has returned home to seek shelter."

Earlier this year, a terrorist attack in a tourist city on the country's coast threatened the fragile peace sought after the civil war. In March, militants from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb killed more than a dozen people at beach hotels, as we reported.

"This country, once an oasis of peace, security, stability and prosperity, is emerging from a devastating decade of political violence and a civil war," Ofeibea reported at the time. "The economy was on the rebound."</s>A two-day mutiny among soldiers in the Ivory Coast has come to an end, according to the country's president. Alassane Ouattara announced Saturday that the government has struck a deal with the mutineers.

The revolt, which began Friday in Boake, the country's second-largest city, soon spread to cities and towns nationwide. By Saturday, parts of the Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan, were on lockdown, as gunfire was reported at the military base on the edge of the city.

There have been no immediate reports of casualties.

As NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton notes, the soldiers' grievances center on bonus pay and living conditions. "One soldier says former fighters integrated into Ivory Coast's army were demanding bonuses of $8,000 apiece — plus a house," Ofeibea reported Friday for the Newscast unit.

Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi flew up to Boake to negotiate a deal with the rebellious soldiers.

Ouattara announced it afterward to government ministers and reporters, Reuters reports. He said the government "had agreed to take into account the soldiers' demands," according to the news service, while also offering this rebuke:

"I would like to say that this manner of making demands is not appropriate. It tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts to revive the economy."

Ofeibea reports the president has asked the soldiers to return to their barracks.

It is believed that many of the mutineers are former rebels, who joined the Ivorian army only after the country's 10-year civil war ended in 2011. The city of Bouake had played a central role as a rebel stronghold during that war.</s>Officials in the West African nation of Ivory Coast say soldiers have overrun police stations and seized the country's second-largest city, Bouake.

It has been six years since the West African nation emerged from a civil war, during which Bouake was the headquarters of the rebellion.

NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton said there were also reports of gunfire in two other cities, Daloa and Korhogo, and that it wasn't clear whether the attacks were a mutiny by current or former troops.

"Troops reportedly seized weapons from police stations and took up positions at the entrance to Bouake. One soldier says former fighters integrated into Ivory Coast's army were demanding bonuses of $8,000 apiece — plus a house. ... "A statement from Ivorian Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi has called on soldiers to remain calm and return to their barracks, to allow, he says, for lasting solutions to the latest crisis in Ivory Coast, which has recently been burnishing its democratic credentials."



A member of the national assembly representing Bouake, Bema Fofana, told the BBC that "the soldiers did not appear to have a leader or spokesman, making it difficult to negotiate with them," the broadcaster reported, and that "most of the soldiers were former rebels who were integrated into the army after the civil war."

The BBC also reported that a resident who asked not to be identified said soldiers armed with automatic rifles "fired at the offices of the state broadcaster in the city."



"They are heavily armed and parading through the city of Daloa," a student named Karim Sanogo told The Associated Press. "Security forces have abandoned their posts. Everyone has returned home to seek shelter."

Earlier this year, a terrorist attack in a tourist city on the country's coast threatened the fragile peace sought after the civil war. In March, militants from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb killed more than a dozen people at beach hotels, as we reported.

"This country, once an oasis of peace, security, stability and prosperity, is emerging from a devastating decade of political violence and a civil war," Ofeibea reported at the time. "The economy was on the rebound."</s>A two-day mutiny among soldiers in the Ivory Coast has come to an end, according to the country's president. Alassane Ouattara announced Saturday that the government has struck a deal with the mutineers.

The revolt, which began Friday in Boake, the country's second-largest city, soon spread to cities and towns nationwide. By Saturday, parts of the Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan, were on lockdown, as gunfire was reported at the military base on the edge of the city.

There have been no immediate reports of casualties.

As NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton notes, the soldiers' grievances center on bonus pay and living conditions. "One soldier says former fighters integrated into Ivory Coast's army were demanding bonuses of $8,000 apiece — plus a house," Ofeibea reported Friday for the Newscast unit.

Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi flew up to Boake to negotiate a deal with the rebellious soldiers.

Ouattara announced it afterward to government ministers and reporters, Reuters reports. He said the government "had agreed to take into account the soldiers' demands," according to the news service, while also offering this rebuke:

"I would like to say that this manner of making demands is not appropriate. It tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts to revive the economy."

Ofeibea reports the president has asked the soldiers to return to their barracks.

It is believed that many of the mutineers are former rebels, who joined the Ivorian army only after the country's 10-year civil war ended in 2011. The city of Bouake had played a central role as a rebel stronghold during that war.</s>ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Gunfire erupted Saturday at a military camp near Ivory Coast’s commercial capital, Abidjan, amid growing unrest in cities in the West African nation involving soldiers demanding pay bonuses, a military source told CNN.

The soldiers involved are former rebels who claim they were promised a salary bonus they never received for their role in bringing President Alassane Ouattara to power after disputed elections in 2010, the military source said.

Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi arrived Saturday in the central city of Bouaké, the stronghold of the soldiers, a day after he said on national television he would try to speak with them to understand their concerns.

The unrest began Friday in Bouaké, but gunfire has since broken out in the cities of Man in the west and Korhogo and Odienné in the north, as soldiers took up positions at the entrance to each city with heavy weapons, the military source said.

The unrest also spread Saturday to Abidjan, where soldiers have set up roadblocks around the neighborhood of Palmeraie.

The soldiers, including some who have been demobilized, say they were each promised 5 million CFA francs ($8,000) and a house for their role in the rebellion that brought Ouattara to power after his predecessor refused to acknowledge his election win.

A government source told CNN on Friday that the government did give salary bonuses to the heads of the rebellion and it was not distributed to regular soldiers — although he did not specify the details of what was paid.

The unrest comes as a political reshuffle in the Cabinet and several government institutions is taking place.

Ivory Coast suffered months of violence following the disputed presidential elections in November 2010. Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent, refused to step down after Ouattara was declared the winner.

Gbagbo was arrested five months later and is on trial at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands.

A UN peacekeeping force remains in Ivory Coast, tasked with ensuring the protection of civilians and supporting the government’s efforts to disarm and reintegrate former combatants.</s>Abidjan - Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara announced on Saturday he has reached an agreement with soldiers who seized the second city Bouake in a pay protest that spread to the economic capital Abidjan.

"I confirm my agreement to take into account the demands relating to bonuses and improving the living conditions of soldiers," Ouattara said in a brief declaration broadcast on television.

"Having given my agreement, I ask all soldiers to go back to their barracks to allow decisions to be carried out calmly," he added, without giving details of the deal.

The announcement came after shots rang out at a military base in Abidjan as soldiers put up barricades in the city, a day after troops took over Bouake, firing rocket launchers in the streets and terrifying residents.

The soldiers are seeking bonuses, pay rises and faster promotion.

The deal was reached after a meeting between Defence Minister Alain Richard Donwahi and a delegation of the mutineers in Bouake.

The situation had dramatically escalated Saturday as the unrest spread to Abidjan, the bustling commercial hub of the world's largest cocoa producer and home to the presidency, government and parliament.

Soldiers also took to the streets of Daloa and Daoukro in the country's centre as well as Korhogo in the north on Friday. Though the protests there eased, the unrest had spread to Man in the west as well as Abidjan by Saturday.
Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara reaches a deal with soldiers who seized the town of Bouake in a pay protest. The soldiers are seeking bonuses, pay rises and faster promotion.