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. 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. "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. ... "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." It tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts to revive the economy."
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.