Africa > West Africa > Cote d'Ivoire > Abidjan > Fears deep rift in the armed forces between mutineers and loyalists could end in a military standoff.

Abidjan: Fears deep rift in the armed forces between mutineers and loyalists could end in a military standoff.

2017/05/18

Renegade soldiers in Ivory Coast have rejected a transaction to end a four-day mutiny next the Minister of Defence announced on national television that an agreement had been reached with the military.

Mutinies in the Ivorian army, which brought Ivory Coast to a standstill in January, subsided next the government gave in to soldiers' demands over back pay and bonuses, agreeing to pay 12m CFA francs in bonuses (£15,350; €18,000). Soldiers received their initial instalment but the national has been unable to pay the balance following a collapse in the price of cocoa, the country's major export.

On 12 May, mutineers revolted next a spokesman for the group made a amaze announcement in which he dropped their demands for bonus payments, promised during negotiations in January.

Soldiers took over major urban areas of the Ivory Coast inclunding Bouake, the second-biggest city and heavy gunfire paralysed much of the commercial capital, Abidjan, and the western port city of San Pedro.

On Monday (15 May), Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi made a two-minute statement in which he said that an arrangement to end the crisis had been reached, without specifying the modalities.

But two spokesmen for the 8,400 mutineers instantly rejected the government's proposition and proposed all. "They offered 5m CFA francs ($8,360, each) payable tomorrow, but we want 7m paid in one go," Sergeant Seydou Koné is quoted as saying by Reuters.

Soldiers – former rebels who helped President Alassane Ouattara to power and are presently embadded in the army – as well rejected the proposition, saying they had not been consulted.

"We do not recognise the agreement. Are we baptised without the baptised? No representative of Bouake was present on Monday at their 'agreement'. According to what is known, it was a conference of high-ranking officers," a mutinous soldier, who asked to remain anonymous, is quoted as saying by Ouest France.

The recent revolts underscore stark divisions within the military, which have remained since Ouattara took office at the end of the second Ivorian civil war in April 2011.

Ouattara clinched power next his RDR party formed a coalition with the Force Nouvelle (FN) rebel groups that had held much of the country's north since the civil war in the mid-2000s. The majority of those involved in the recent mutiny were former FN fighters who had been promised the bonuses at the end of the war.

The deep rift in the armed forces is one of the challenges facing Ouattara, who secured a second term in a landslide victory in 2015 but vowed to step down in 2020.

Related Articles
  • UNWTO: International tourism – strongest half-year results since 2010

    2017/09/09 Destinations worldwide welcomed 598 million international tourists in the initial six months of 2017, some 36 million additional than in the same period of 2016. At 6%, increase was well above the trend of recent years, making the current January-June period the strongest half-year since 2010. Visitor numbers reported by destinations around the world reflect strong request for international travel in the initial half of 2017, according to the new UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Worldwide, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased by 6% compared to the same six-month period last year, well above the sustained and consistent trend of 4% or higher increase since 2010. This represents the strongest half-year in seven years.
  • H.E. President Alassane Ouattara and the theme of “Accelerating Africa’s Path to Prosperity

    2017/09/09 This year, under the leadership of H.E. President Alassane Ouattara and the theme of “Accelerating Africa’s Path to Prosperity: Growing Inclusive Economies and Jobs through Agriculture”, the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2017 is shaping up as a premier platform to showcase ongoing evolution in Africa’s agricultural transformation schedule and to scale up the political, policy, and financial commitments needed to achieve the Malabo Declaration and the world development schedule around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following the launch of the landmark annual Africa Agriculture Status Statement (ASSR) at the AGRF taking place in Cote d’Ivoire from 4-8 September 2017, the major conclusion centres around the power of entrepreneurs and the free market in driving Africa’s economic increase from food production. This is owing to the fact that a lot of businesses are waking up to opportunities of a rapidly growing food market in Africa that may be worth additional than $1 trillion each year by 2030 to substitute imports with high price food made in Africa.
  • International Arrivals To Africa Reach More Than 18 Million In 2017

    2017/09/09 Market Research Company Euromonitor International revealed before this week the key trends shaping travel and tourism in Africa at the 41st Annual World Tourism Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. According to Euromonitor International’s new data, international arrivals to Africa grew by 6.5 % in 2017, to reach 18,550 million, up from 16,351 million in 2012. Key markets such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Cameroon, Mauritius and Tanzania accounted for 70 % of international trips to the Sub-Saharan African region.
  • Africa: USA-Africa - No Policy? Bad Policy? or Both?

    2017/08/30 "Africa is terra incognita for the Trump Government: a continent it cares little - and understands even less - about. With no dyed-in-the-wool Trumpian Africa hands available, the government appears ready to cede Africa policy making to career civil servants and a few mainstream Republican appointees." - Matthew T. Page The headline to Page's article in Quartz Africa states that "Donald Trump could be getting his US-Africa policy right by simply not having one." His view is actually additional nuanced, in judging that no policy would likely be only "less bad" than explicitly "bad policy" that may result from better White Home interest in Africa.
  • Veteran Diplomat Named 'Acting' State Department Africa Chief

    2017/08/30 Donald Yamamoto, who has extensive diplomatic experience in Africa inclunding two tours as a U.S. ambassador, will take office as Acting Assistant Secretary of National for Africa on 5 September. He is the second career official tapped for a senior policy position on Africa in the Trump government.Donald Yamamoto, who has extensive diplomatic experience in Africa including two tours as a U.S. ambassador, will take office as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Africa on 5 September. He is the second career official tapped for a senior policy position on Africa in the Trump administration. Senior CIA analyst Cyril Sartor was hired as senior director for Africa at the National Security Council earier this month Key Africa jobs at the Defense Department (DOD) and the U.S. Agency for International Development remain vacant. "Having someone with Don Yamamoto's experience in that post is very significant," Mel Foote, Constituency for Africa president, told AllAfrica. "As Africa confronts a lot of challenges, we want to see responsible U.S. engagement in partnership with African governments and civil society organizations."