2017 Ivory Coast mutiny
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A major mutiny broke out among the
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
of Ivory Coast in January 2017. The mutineers, mostly ex- Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire rebels who had been integrated into the armed forces in 2011, were motivated by grievances about their pay and living conditions. Seizing control of nine cities throughout the country, they pressured the government to accept their demands, whereupon the mutiny ended. Smaller mutinies erupted on 17 January and 7 February, and another large-scale second mutiny broke out in May 2017.


History


6-8 January

The revolt began around 2 a.m. on 6 January, when demobilised soldiers in Bouake, who demanded higher salaries and the payment of bonuses, seized weapons and ammunition at the local military base and police stations. They were soon joined by other, still active soldiers, who had served during
ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...
mission in Liberia, but claimed to not have been paid for taking part in these operations. After some firefights, the mutineers secured Bouaké, blockaded the city's entrances and told the local civilians to stay indoors. No further violence took place at Bouaké, though the mutiny quickly spread to other cities. Soldiers revolted at
Daloa Daloa is a city in western Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both the Sassandra-Marahoué District and the Haut-Sassandra Region. It is also the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Daloa Department. Daloa is also a commune. In the 2014 census, the city ...
's military base; according to some sources, there was a short firefight, while others say that the rebels only shot into the air. In either case, the situation quickly calmed down, with mutineers in full control of the town. A number of rogue soldiers also drove into
Korhogo Korhogo is a city in northern Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Savanes District and Poro Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Korhogo Department. In the 2014 census, the city had a population of 243,048, maki ...
, which was seized without any resistance. Fighting was also reported at Daoukro and Odienné. Though the soldiers at the economic capital
Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...
initially remained calm, many of them also mutinied in the night, so that by the end of 6 January, the mutineers had taken control of five cities, including Abidjan.
UN peacekeepers Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...
were deployed throughout the country to keep the situation from escalating, while defence minister Alain-Richard Donwahi said he would negotiate with the rebels at Bouaké on the next day. Most of the revolting soldiers were former members of the Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire, a rebel movement which had controlled the northern part of the country until the
Second Ivorian Civil War The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Ivory Coast escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Ivory Coast since 2000, and supporters of the internationa ...
, after which they had been integrated into the regular armed forces. The outbreak of mutinies was also related to the power games at the head of the state:
Guillaume Soro Guillaume Kigbafori Soro (born 8 May 1972) is an Ivorian politician who was the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from April 2007 to March 2012. Prior to his service as Prime Minister, Soro led the Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire, and late ...
, the former spokesman of the rebellion, had just lost his position of second-to-the president man. By the next day, the revolt had spread to nine cities: Bouaké, Abidjan, Odienné, Korhogo,
Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
, Daloa,
Toulépleu Toulépleu is a town in the far west of Ivory Coast, near the border with Liberia. It is a sub-prefecture and the seat of Toulépleu Department in Cavally Region, Montagnes District. Toulépleu is also a commune A commune is an alternative t ...
,
Abobo Abobo is a northern suburb of Abidjan and one of the 10 urban communes of this city in Ivory Coast. Abobo is one of the most populated communes in the country with about 1.3 million inhabitants in an area of 6,925 ha (69.25 km2), a dens ...
, and Daoukro. In Abidjan, the mutineers went on to take control of and then blockade the military headquarters including the defence ministry with makeshift barricades, and also reportedly attacked a military base belonging to loyalist
paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...
commandos. Fearing the violence could further escalate, Abidjan residents stocked up on food and water. Gunfire was also reported at Man and Bouaké. Donwahi, along with Lt-Col Issiaka Ouattara, deputy commander of the loyalist Republican Guard, went to Bouaké in the early afternoon to negotiate with the rebelling soldiers. They managed to reach a deal with the rebels, who promised to end the mutiny and return to their barracks in return for the promise of higher wages and bonuses. President
Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Despite this, a large group of mutineers remained unsatisfied with the deal. These rebels consequently opened fire on the house where the negotiations took place, and declared that they wanted their bonuses to be paid immediately instead of in the following week. A standoff ensued, with the government representatives, including the defence minister, effectively held hostage for several hours. Early on 8 January, however, the mutineers released all hostages. Though the contents of the agreement were not published, the soldiers were reportedly promised higher salaries as well as an amnesty for all mutineers. On 9 January, president Ouattara relieved the heads of the army, police and paramilitary
gendarme Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
s of command.


Subsequent mutinies

On 17 January, new mutinies began in
Yamassoukro Yamoussoukro (; , locally ) is the ''de jure'' capital of Ivory Coast and an autonomous district. As of the 2014 census, Yamoussoukro is the fifth most populous city in Ivory Coast with a population of 212,670. Located north-west of Abidjan, ...
, Bouaké, Man, Dimbokro and Daloa. The mutineers from Yamassoukro were not former rebels but wanted similar financial bonuses. In Bouake, the gendarmes also demanded to be included in the accord. In Yamoussoukro, four people were shot, including at least two mutineers killed by the Republican Guard. On 7 February 2017, underpaid soldiers of the Special Forces rebelled to demand their inclusion in the January agreements.


May

On 8 May, hundreds of demobilized soldiers demanded the money and the civilian jobs they were promised in January. On 12 May, they were joined by the ex-mutineers that remained in the armed forces. At least eight civilians protesting against the mutiny were shot in Bouaké and
Korhogo Korhogo is a city in northern Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Savanes District and Poro Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Korhogo Department. In the 2014 census, the city had a population of 243,048, maki ...
. A demobilised mutineer was also killed on 14 May but the Republican Guard soldiers were reluctant to fight their former colleagues. On May 14, a vast load of ammunitions was discovered in the house of a close relative of Guillaume Soro in Bouaké. Guillaume Soro publicly condemned the rebels on 28 May, claiming that their mutiny was an "humiliation for us - the state, the president, myself and the institutions".


Aftermath

The mutiny reduced investor confidence in the "Ivorian miracle", the economic prosperity that Ivory Coast displayed after the end of the Civil War.


References

{{Ivory Coast topics Conflicts in 2017 2017 in Ivory Coast Mutinies January 2017 events in Africa May 2017 events in Africa Military of Ivory Coast