Spate of arrests in connection with mutiny

Cote d’Ivoire’s authorities said on Tuesday that 35 members of the military, including eight officers and six non-commissioned officers, had been detained at the Abidjan military prison, MAMA, for their part in a mutiny on 4-5 July. The state-owned ‘Fraternite Matin’ daily reported navy Lieutenant Kessi Kouame, government commissioner to the Abidjan military court, as saying that the charges against them included plotting against the state and breach of state security, common crimes such as theft, and military offences like rebellion. The highest-ranking detainees are four colonels. Kouame also said that a number of civilians had been detained in connection with last week’s disturbances. Meanwhile, the media reported that two ranking members of the Rassemblement des Republicains (RDR) - Deputy Secretary-General Ahmadou Gon Coulibaly and party spokesman Ali Coulibaly - were arrested on Wednesday morning.