Three soldiers killed in Ivory Coast barrack shooting

In a separate incident, shooting was heard from a former UN base near Abidjan, lasting from about 1.30 am to after 3:00 am, a local resident in the nearby district of Abobo said. “We were all very scared. We don’t know what’s going on,” another resident said. Calm returned on Saturday morning. The incident takes place against a backdrop of months-long tensions within the country’s armed forces.

The former French colony suffered a decade-long civil war, splitting the country in two. Thousands of rebels were then incorporated into the army after President Laurent Gbagbo was ousted in 2011 by Alassane Ouattara. But a string of revolts erupted from January to May this year after they mutinied to press demands for a promised bonus. They eventually received a payoff of 12,000 CFA francs (18,000 euros) per head from the state.

There are also 6,000 “demobilised” rebels who have not been integrated into the military, and are also demanding a bonus. Four of them were shot dead in May when security forces intervened to disperse a protest. And on Tuesday, two former rebel leaders who obstructed a road in the central city of Bouake were jailed.

The government last year unveiled plans to  modernise the 22,000-man military, part of which would involve the departure of several thousand men, particularly ex-rebels. But falling cocoa prices have severely crimped the government’s coffers.