18 die in battle for TV station

Armed men attacked Ivory Coast military police at the state TV headquarters today, sparking a battle that killed 18 people.

A TV journalist called the attack an attempt to take control of the station, a standard first step in uprisings in the troubled West African nation.

Military police guarding the station in Abidjan put down the attack, he said.

The clash was the latest in years of rebellions, military revolts and other violence following a 1999 coup in once-stable Ivory Coast.

Minister of Defence Rene Amani said 18 were killed, including one army soldier.

“This situation, which is extremely serious, merits clarification,” said Amani. “To this end, an investigation will be directed that will permit us to illuminate what happened.”

“The situation is under control,” he said, adding that civilians in Abidjan should “go about their affairs normally.”

A witness said the attackers wore black T-shirts inscribed with the word Nindja – the name of one of the pro-government militia groups that have formed since war broke out in September 2002.

A government minister said authorities had been warned of the assault ahead of time.

“We were on alert all night due to information of an imminent attack,” said Theodore Mel, a Cabinet minister in Ivory Coast’s power-sharing government.

Ivory Coast remains unsettled after its latest violence, a nine month civil war officially declared over in July.

The country remains split between rebel-held north and government-held south, and the internationally brokered power-sharing deal has yet to take hold.