Ivory Coast agrees deal with soldiers mutinying over pay

Ivory Coast’s government has reached an agreement with soldiers who mutinied over pay just over a week ago, the government and representatives for the soldiers said on Saturday. Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi said there was an "agreement that satisfies both parties" and that "all the problems with mutineers have been solved," without going into details. […]

Ivory Coast’s government has reached an agreement with soldiers who mutinied over pay just over a week ago, the government and representatives for the soldiers said on Saturday.

Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi said there was an "agreement that satisfies both parties" and that "all the problems with mutineers have been solved," without going into details.

"A number of concerns that were never addressed have been taken into account by the government," Brahima Kane, a soldier involved in the negotiations late on Friday, told dpa.

The soldiers were reportedly claiming 12 million CFA francs (19,466 dollars) each in arrears and premiums. They were expected to receive the money over several months.

Earlier on Friday evening, hundreds of soldiers surrounded the building in the second-largest city Bouake, where the talks were taking place, and fired weapons in the air, the BBC reported.

The mutiny, which appeared to be widely supported by the army, began on January 6 in Bouake with gunfire and road blocks, spreading to other cities. There were no reported deaths or injuries as a result of the events. (DPA)