Security sources and locals told AFP gunmen had attacked several army positions near the town of Grabo, in an area where land disputes and ethnic tensions have spilled over into bloodshed numerous times in recent years.

Defence Minister Paul Koffi Koffi said on national television that six soldiers were killed, along with four attackers.

A local man contacted by phone told AFP that firing had gone on for several hours, forcing residents to hide.

A similar attack in the same area in January in which around 20 unidentified gunmen targeted security forces left two soldiers dead.