Rival factions battled at Abidjan's main army base early Wednesday as the country's ruling junta faced widespread protests against a bid by military ruler Robert Guei to declare himself the winner of disputed presidential elections.
After about two hours of fighting, a Guei loyalist officer said an attack on the Akouedo camp had been repelled.
"The camp has not fallen, I have repulsed the attackers, they are having trouble withdrawing because their armored vehicle has broken down," Lieutenant Laurent Boka Yapi, commander of Red Brigade which assures presidential security, told AFP.
He spoke shortly after 5:00 am (0500 GMT), two hours after automatic gun fire was first heard coming from Akouedo military camp.
Witnesses close to the camp said the intensity of fighting later lessened.
The incident broke out a day after the General Guei claimed victory in the controversial presidential election in a move that sparked demonstrations in which nine people were killed in clashes with the presidential guard.
The witnesses Wednesday said elements were firing on the camp from outside and that automatic weapons fire was being returned from inside.
The fighting took place at the old camp at Akouedo, home notably to the presidential guard.
Akouedo old camp is roughly a kilometer (600 meters) from the Akouedo new camp, where an armored battalion and infantry battalion are based.
Akouedo was the starting point for the December 24 mutiny that brought the military regime of Guei to power last year – ABIDJAN (AFP)
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