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Ivory Coast mutinous soldiers injure three former rebels

Saturday, 13 May 2017 4:59 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 13 May 2017 5:00 PM ]

Rebel soldiers stand near the entrance of Ivory Coast's army headquarters in Abidjan on May 12, 2017 (Photo by AFP)

Mutinous soldiers in the second largest city of Ivory Coast, Bouake, have shot and injured three demobilized former rebels amid a nationwide revolt in the army over bonus payments.

The Saturday shooting came after the disgruntled troopers blocked access to Bouake and took control of the city.

The soldiers opened fire to prevent the former rebels from staging their own protest march, spokesman for the mutineers Sergeant Seydou Kone said.

The former rebels had gone through a disarmament program following the country's 2011 civil war.

A rebel soldier stands near the entrance of Ivory Coast's army headquarters in Abidjan on May 12, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Ivory Coast’s government and the mutinous troops reached a deal on January 13, days after soldiers took control of Bouake, firing rockets and terrifying residents of the city. The mutiny, then, took momentum and spread to some other cities.

According to the initial deal, the government promised to pay each soldier 12 million CFA francs (nearly $20,000) in bonuses, but the troops later said they had not received any money. Other soldiers and elements of security forces have sought similar bonuses since the January deal.

Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, is West Africa’s largest and most prosperous economy.

The French-speaking country emerged from nearly a decade of short wars and a protracted crisis in 2011.

However, the factionalized, ill-disciplined military and increasing political divisions have sparked fresh concerns about the state of security and economic development in the country.

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