ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast special forces fired in the air in the army barracks town of Adiake for a second day Wednesday, the latest incident in weeks of trouble with mutinous soldiers and security forces.
The elite troops appeared to be angling for a deal with the government along the lines of one struck in January that offered some soldiers large one-off lump sum payments.
“The shooting has started again. Today, it is market day, and they (the troops) told the women to return to their houses. Everyone is terrified, and holed up in their homes,” a resident of Adiake told AFP by phone.
The gunfire in Adiake, located to the east of the commercial capital Abidjan, is the first protest action by special forces troops based there who are in charge of the president’s security.
Protests in January were by soldiers and members of the security forces.
Adiake also is home to a maritime base that trains marine commandos and provides coastal surveillance in an area that shares a border with Ghana.
The elite troops were on the front line of fighting in March last year when militant forces attacked the resort of Grand Bassam east of Abidjan, leaving 19 people dead.
They are also tasked with ensuring the security of President Alassane Ouattara.Troops first launched a mutiny over pay on Jan. 5.
The initial protests were quelled when the government reached a deal with 8,500 mutineers, agreeing to give them 12 million CFA francs ($19,000) each.
However more soldiers have since taken to the streets demanding similar bonuses.
Last year Ivory Coast approved an ambitious military planning budget seeking to modernize the army and buy new equipment.
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