Tension was running high in Ivory Coast yesterday, after soldiers launched a pre-dawn attack on the residence of the military ruler, Gen Robert Guei, killing at least two guards but failing to harm the junta chief.
Twenty people were arrested in connection with the incident, an army spokesman said, all of them members of the presidential guard.
Sporadic gunfire was heard through the residential streets of the capital, Abidjan, throughout the morning and there were scenes of panic in working class districts. The attack came amid rising tension in the run-up to next month's presidential elections, in which Gen Guei is standing, despite insisting last December after a coup that he was not interested in power.
Around 20 soldiers attacked Gen Guei's house in Abidjan's central Indenie neighbourhood shortly after 3 a.m. and were repelled after two hours of fighting, military sources said.
The assailants arrived in civilian clothing but later changed into uniform, loyalist troops said.
The attackers succeeded in penetrating the perimeter wall of the residence but were repelled by soldiers deployed inside the house. Loyalist troops arrived at the scene in an armoured car to break down the gate. At least one of the assailants was injured, but he managed to flee, the military said.
Gen Guei said yesterday he had been warned that a group of soldiers was to make an attempt on his life.
The Communications Minister, Mr Henri Sama, implicitly accused supporters of the opposition presidential hopeful, Mr Alassane Ouattara, of being behind the attack, but Gen Guei later refused to be drawn on who he thought might be the culprits.
Speaking on state radio, Mr Sama had referred to "ringleaders who are hiding in the shadows and who through cowardice don't have the capacity to answer for their actions and who have been spreading rumours of their arrest for the last few days."
Mr Ouattara's party, the Rally of Republicans (RDR), said it was "indignant at these baseless accusations".
Mr Ouattara faces possible exclusion from the presidential race after Gen Guei's junta tightened eligibility requirements for candidates.
Following a referendum held in July, parents of candidates must be Ivorian and candidates must never have held any other nationality. Mr Ouattara's opponents claim he has Burkina parentage and has used Burkina nationality throughout his working career.