Ex-soldiers seize control of Ivory Coast's second city

[LarryW]

There are more and more young men (and women) with military experience with time on their hands. The future appears ripe for this sort of reaction.

Ex-soldiers seize control of Ivory Coast's second city

Demobilized soldiers seized Ivory Coast's second-largest city on Friday and gunfire erupted at a military camp in another town, according to military sources who said reinforcements had been sent to manage the uprising.

The unrest comes weeks after parliamentary elections that had been viewed as a further step towards cementing stability in the West African nation, which has emerged from a 2002-2011 political crisis as one of the continent's rising stars.

Heavy gunfire was heard from around 2 a.m. (0200 GMT) in Bouake - a city of around a half million inhabitants in the centre of the country - and sporadic shooting continued into the late morning.
Military sources said demobilized soldiers - mainly former rebels from the decade-long conflict - broke into police stations across the city, looting weapons before taking up positions at entry points into the city.

"The city is under the control of former (soldiers)," said an army officer, who spoke by telephone from Bouake. "There are many of them at the north and south entrances to the city. We are on alert and await instructions from the hierarchy."

He added that the second in command at the main military base in the city had been taken hostage by the ex-soldiers.

(more at) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iv...KBN14Q0V6?il=0