- Title: Ivory Coast government reaches deal to end army mutiny
- Date: 7th January 2017
- Summary: BOUAKE, IVORY COAST (JANUARY 7, 2017) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** (SOUNDBITE) (French) DEPUTY PREFECT OF BOUAKE, DJANDE LORGN, SAYING: "We have reached the end of our negotiations. The minister of defence is here and will deliver his first impressions." SOLDIERS INVOLVED IN THE MUTINY LISTENING NEGOTIATORS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (French) IVORY COAST DEFENCE MINISTER, ALAIN-RICHARD DONWAHI, SAYING: "Let me say first that these were not negotiations. We came here to talk with family, with our men, their concerns, and to give a true account of our talks to the president of the republic. This is what we have done and the president of the republic has received the conclusions of our discussion and will soon make a declaration to the nation, and I prefer to let him take the lead in announcing the conclusions of what we discussed here. I want to reassure the population that we talked among family." MINISTER AND SOLDIERS WHO MUTINIED GATHERING OUTSIDE SOLDIERS (SOUNDBITE) (French) SOLDIERS WHO TOOK PART IN MUTINY, DRAMANE KONE, SAYING: "We are very pleased. We can see this is a president who wants a future for his country and who isn't aware of very much, but as soon as he finds out he takes a favourable decision. So we are really happy about him. All the blockades will be lifted, we are going back to our barracks and the cars will circulate freely. All the blockades will be lifted." KONE AND DONWAHI POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPH
- Embargoed: 22nd January 2017 20:39
- Keywords: Ivory Coast Ouattara military mutiny soldiers peace agreement
- Location: BOUAKE AND ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- City: BOUAKE AND ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Insurgencies
- Reuters ID: LVA0015Y2ZA6F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Saturday (January 7) that the government had reached an agreement with disgruntled soldiers to end a two-day revolt that had spread unrest across the West African nation.
The uprising began early on Friday (January 6) when the soldiers - mainly former rebel fighters - demanding wage increases and bonuses - seized Bouake, the second-largest city. Over the next two days, soldiers at military camps in cities and towns including the commercial capital, Abidjan, joined the mutiny.
Earlier on Saturday, Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi appeared to have brokered a deal to end the revolt, and Ouattara said he had agreed to take into account the soldiers grievances concerning bonus payments and living and working conditions.
"I would like to repeat that this way of making demands is not appropriate. Indeed it tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts in economic development and diplomatic re-positioning," he said.
However late on Saturday, mutinying soldiers in Bouake opened fire on a local officials house, according to a Reuters witness, and Donwahi was trapped inside by the shooting unable to head back to Abidjan.
Ivory Coast - French-speaking West Africa's largest economy - has emerged from a 2002-11 political crisis as one of the continent's rising economic stars.
However, years of conflict and a failure to reform its army, thrown together from a patchwork of former rebel fighters and government soldiers, have left it with an unruly force hobbled by internal divisions.
The revolt came two years after hundreds of soldiers barricaded roads in cities across Ivory Coast demanding back pay in a near identical uprising.
Then too the government agreed a deal that included amnesty from punishment and a financial settlement for the mutineers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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