Ivory Coast’s rebel troops say mutiny over

Rebel troops in Ivory Coast on Tuesday said they were ending a four-day mutiny after coming to an agreement with the government over a pay dispute.

“We have found a basis for agreement. We are returning to barracks,” Sergeant Cisse Fousseni told AFP as others said all their demands had been met.

The government offered an immediate payment of five million CFA francs (7,500 euros) and an extra two million to be paid next month, source among the mutineers said.

Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi announced late Monday that an agreement had been struck with the mutineers, but disgruntled troops had continued to fire their weapons into the air in a display of scepticism.

The four-day mutiny, which spread to barracks across the west African nation, was the latest in a string of protests by angry troops, most of them former rebels who had been integrated into the army.

After a mutiny in January, the government agreed to pay the ex-rebels bonuses of 12 million CFA francs (18,000 euros) each.

They were given a partial payment of five million francs and the remainder had been due to be paid this month, with the soldiers’ protest resuming when it wasn’t.