Witnesses say gunfire has broken out in Ivory Coast's second-largest city, where the defense chief was expected to resume talks on an army mutiny there a week ago.
Fanta Kourouma, a resident of Bouake, says shots could be heard shortly before noon Friday. She says they appeared to come from near the city's main military camp. Aboubacar Al Syddick, a journalist in Bouake, says the shots came from soldiers trying to disperse a demonstration by civilians angry at soldiers' behavior.
Last week, soldiers in Bouake launched a two-day mutiny over pay that quickly spread to other cities, including Abidjan, the commercial hub. President Alassane Ouattara said the next day that a deal had been reached on the issue.
The defense minister on Friday was discussing specifics of the deal.