Ivory Coast dismisses 5 soldiers linked to recent attack

Five military personnels linked to an attack and arms theft at the base of an elite security unit last week have been laid off their duties and further been apprehended waiting justice, senior security officials said.

Gunmen, some of them in uniform, attacked the base, housed inside the national police academy in the main city, Abidjan, on July 19, killing an officer, stealing weapons and then fighting security forces in another part of the city.

The head of the national police said hat the weapons stolen during the attacks had been recovered, and that among those arrested were two active duty soldiers as well as a third member of the army.

Ivory Coast has been viewed as a post-conflict success story after emerging from a decade of turmoil and a 2011 civil war as Africa’s fastest growing economy.