Côte d’Ivoire rebellion

This item appears on page 63 of the July 2017 issue.

Rebel soldiers of the Côte d’Ivoire army took over portions of both the capital city of Abidjan and the country’s second-largest city, Bouaké, in a pay dispute on May 11. In the process of firing their guns in warning, rebel soldiers killed one civilian in Bouaké, but there were no other casualties. 

On May 16, mutineers accepted a government offer worth about $8,000 apiece to end the mutiny.

In January 2017, the same soldiers mutinied over back pay, totaling about $20,000, that they claimed they were owed. The Côte d’Ivoire government agreed to pay a lower amount and did pay a portion of what was owed, ending that rebellion. 

On May 11, the leader of the rebel soldiers announced that they would not require the government to finish paying what was promised. However, it seems the rebel soldiers did not agree with this decision.