Ivorian soldiers held for a month in Mali, negotiation favoured

Negotiations remain the preferred option to obtain the release of 49 Ivorian soldiers detained for a month in Bamako and accused by the military in power in Mali of being "mercenaries", which Abidjan denies, claiming that they were on a mission for the UN.

This case illustrates the tensions between Mali and Côte d'Ivoire, accused by Bamako of having incited its West African partners to tighten sanctions against the Malian military perpetrators of two coups since 2020, sanctions were finally lifted in early July.

A mediation by Togo has so far been unsuccessful, but discussions are continuing with a view to releasing the detained soldiers as quickly as possible. On 10 July, 49 Ivorian soldiers in military uniform, but unarmed, disembarked in Bamako from a plane of the national airline Air Côte d'Ivoire, another plane carrying their weapons. Africannews