Angry soldiers in Ivory Coast sealed off access to second largest city Bouake on Saturday as protests over a pay dispute stretched into a second day despite government warnings of harsh punishments.
The revolt began in Bouake early Friday before spreading quickly, following a pattern similar to a mutiny in January by the same group that paralysed parts of the West African state and marred its image as a post-war success story.
shops remained closed in Bouake as soldiers, many of them wearing balaclavas, fired their weapons in the air and patrolled the streets in stolen cars.
According to Sergeant Seydou Kone, one of the leaders of the uprising, the soldiers do not want to negotiate with anyone and are ready to fight if attacked.
