ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast's defense minister says an agreement has been reached with the soldiers who have taken to the streets in protest in the country's largest cities.

In a statement carried on Ivorian television, Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi urged soldiers "to free up the roads, to go back to their barracks and to keep the peace."

The soldiers are part of a group who had launched a mutiny back in January seeking to improve their compensation and living conditions. When a group apologized to the president and the head of the army on national television last week, dissatisfied soldiers took the streets.

The brief statement released late Monday night did not contain details of the agreement.