Ivory Coast uprising by disgruntled soldiers spreads to other cities

Residents of the northern city of Korhogo reported hearing sporadic gunfire in the afternoon as military sources said some soldiers there had also joined the uprising.

Donwahi said the towns of Odienne and Daoukro had also been affected by the mutiny, but said the situation was now calm.

Bouake was the seat of a rebellion that controlled the northern half of the country from 2002, until Ivory Coast was reunited following a civil war in 2011.

Most of those involved in the mutiny appeared to be former rebels who were integrated into the army.

Bema Fofana, a member of parliament representing Bouake who spoke to several of the soldiers, said they were demanding 5 million CFA francs ($8,000) each, as well as a house.

Ivory Coast is the world’s leading cocoa producer, and prices rose as the unrest prompted a wave of buying.

Footage obtained by Reuters showed a pick-up truck laden with soldiers racing through empty Bouake streets.

Ami Soro, a teacher living in Bouake, said men in balaclavas were patrolling the city on motorcycles or in cars.

A helicopter, which residents said was from Ivory Coast’s U.N. peacekeeping mission, buzzed overhead.