World News – Africa
6th August 2012
At least six soldiers have been killed in an attack by gunmen on an army base in Ivory Coast’s main city, Abidjan. One assailant was also killed in the gun battle which lasted several hours in the Riviera district of Abidjan. This follows the shooting of five soldiers on Sunday in an attack on a police station and an army checkpoint in Yopougon to the east of the city. It is not clear who was behind the attack. Ivory Coast is recovering from months of unrest after a disputed poll. The two attacks are said to be the biggest in Abidjan since former President Laurent Gbagbo was ousted in April 2011.
Corp Ousmane Kone, who took part in the fighting, told Reuters news agency that the attackers had made off with guns. ”They took lots of weapons, loaded them in a truck and drove off with them. They took AK-47s [automatic rifles], machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades,” he said.
UN peacekeepers have been posted at key junctions. Some 3,000 people were killed in a dispute after the November 2010 poll. Mr Gbagbo refused to accept defeat to President Alassane Ouattara, who eventually ousted his rival with the help of former rebel forces, the UN and former colonial power France. Mr Gbagbo is currently in The Hague, awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.
For full article visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19146623
