Bouake, Korhogo reported tense but calm

One week after the 19 September uprising in Cote d'Ivoire, described by the government as a failed coup attempt, the central and northern towns of Bouake and Korhogo were on Thursday reported to be calm, but still under the control of mutinous soldiers. Unconfirmed reports said a large of casualties had been seen in areas of Bouake, which is controlled by mutineers. The BBC reported that at least 100 bodies were seen at a military training school on Thursday. On Wednesday night, sporadic gunshots could be heard around Bouake and Korhogo, some 350 km and 634 km respectively north of the economic capital, Abidjan, sources told IRIN. In Korhogo, government offices remained closed, the local market stayed open only for a few hours and residents were able to mill about town, but for only a short time, sources said. The mutineers, some dressed in uniforms and others in plain cloth, could be seen around the towns, sources told IRIN. In Bouake, the country's second largest town, the situation was reported to be "calm but tense". Residents limited their movements to essential shopping, although food items were less abundant and prices were higher than usual, according to local sources. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis are continuing, and United Nations special envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah met President Laurent Gbagbo on Tuesday and opposition leaders on Wednesday in an effort to find an end to the crisis. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has planned to hold an extraordinary summit on 5 October to discuss the situation. Several other West African parties have also expressed their willingness to assist Cote d'Ivoire in finding a solution to the crisis. In Lagos, Nigeria announced it had deployed troops and war planes to provide support to Gbagbo under the auspices of the ECOWAS, at the request of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, the current chairman of ECOWAS. "We have sent some fighter planes and soldiers to Cote d'Ivoire - not unilaterally but as part of a move by ECOWAS to protect democracy in West Africa," a senior Nigerian defence ministry official told IRIN. However, Reporters sans Frontieres and the Committee to Protect Journalists have condemned the Ivorian government for restricting the broadcasts of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Radio France Internationale (RFI) and Africa No 1 radio stations. The authorities in Cote d'Ivoire have said no order has been issued to restrict the broadcasting. The media freedom lobby groups said the Ivorian government had violated the public's right to information. They urged it to allow the three radio stations to allow them broadcast and to protect journalists.