Ivory Coast army mutineers drop financial demands

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Thousands of soldiers who mutinied earlier this year in Ivory Coast, paralysing the country and dealing a blow to its post-war success story, have agreed to drop their demands for further bonus payments, a spokesman for the group said on Thursday.

The pledge, if honoured, would greatly ease pressure on government finances already squeezed by a steep decline in world cocoa prices and earlier payments to the mutineers. But some of the soldiers criticized the agreement and said they were not informed of it in advance.