Travel advice for Ivory Coast
15 May 2017 - RPS Partnership
Flash news from our contact, Richard Johnson of Northcott Global Solutions on the ground.
At present the continued unrest in Abidjan and surrounding areas continues. Areas of the city namely the Plateu Boulevard de Gaulle and the Riviera 3 suburb are areas to avoid with sporadic road blocks and gunfire. This also includes areas in the West of the city.
RPS Partnership's advice is still to stay in your homes, hotels and Villas, unless you need to travel. Much of the city of Abidjan is continuing business as usual however the situation does have the potential to escalate. Our advice is to also stay inside if you are in Bouaké, which is situated in the middle of the country.
Ensure you have water and enough food to last for a few days in case the situation escalates. Contact us on [email protected] if you are unsure of what to do. We can support you and provide advice. We can get someone to you if you are really concerned.
The chartered air companies are fully booked.
RPS Partnership knows Abidjan well having spent quite some time there last year training a global bank in security awareness and first aid as well as crisis management.
Our advice is to stay inside if you are there in the city or in Bouaké, which is situated in the middle of the country. Try to avoid going out onto the streets unless it is essential. Try to work from home, as the city is taken over by checkpoints and movement around the city will be difficult. This could last a few days, according to news reports. Ensure you have water and enough food to last for a few days in case the situation escalates.
Contact us on [email protected] for more travel advice and training.
Ivory Coast's military says it has launched an operation to "restore order" after three consecutive days of protests by mutinous soldiers, according to the BBC.
The soldiers took to the streets in several cities over a pay dispute and blocked off the second largest city, Bouaké, on Saturday.
They have said they are willing to fight if the army intervenes.
Popular opposition to the rebellion has been growing, culminating in a march against the soldiers in Bouaké, when six people were wounded when the soldiers opened fire on protesters during Saturday's demonstration.
'Troops advancing'
In a statement released at 1700 GMT on Sunday announcing that a military operation was underway, armed forces' chief of staff General Sékou Touré said many of the mutinous soldiers had listened to earlier calls for them to stand down. But he said that some soldiers were continuing to disobey orders, which is why the operation had been launched.
Troops are advancing towards Bouaké, according to Reuters news
The background to this latest situation is that In January, the soldiers forced the government into paying them about $8,000 (£6,200) each in bonuses to end a rebellion. They werethen due to receive a further payment this month and several thousands of mutineers had been unhappy they were not consulted when on Thursday a spokesman for the group said they would drop their demands for the remaining money.
The government has said it will not negotiate with the disgruntled soldiers, so there is a now a stalemate.
The mutiny has raised fears of a resurgence of the violence seen during Ivory Coast's 10-year civil war, which ended in 2011, as many of the mutineers in January are former rebels who joined the army after the conflict.
Contact us [email protected] for advice and training if you are planning to travel there in the next few days or weeks. Our Hostile Environment Training courses are on our home page and filling up fast. Contact us to book your place.
Photos: RPS Partnership Ivory Coast - Abidjan