Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali: Abidjan denounces “a hostage taking”

Published on: 09/12/2022 – 10:28 The day after Colonel Goïta’s statements calling for the extradition of Malian political figures residing in Côte d’Ivoire, a source close to the Ivorian presidency accused the Malian junta on Sunday of having taken as “hostage” its 46 soldiers detained since July 10 in Mali. Côte d’Ivoire considers its 46 soldiers detained in Mali for two months to be “hostages”, after declarations by the ruling junta in Bamako conditioning their release on the extradition of Malian political figures living in Abidjan. is a hostage taking which will not remain without consequence. Our position is clear: this market is unacceptable”, affirmed, Sunday September 11, a source close to the Ivorian presidency to AFP. “We always favor the diplomatic solution. We must avoid the policy of the worst,” added this source, however, who hopes that the Malian junta “will reverse its position”. An extraordinary summit of the Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is to be held next week in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to this same source, and should raise the subject. “If by then nothing is settled through diplomatic channels, the ECOWAS will be forced to take sanctions,” she predicted. Colonel Goïta’s accusations against Côte d’Ivoire On July 10, 49 Ivorian soldiers were arrested in Mali, described as “mercenaries”, then charged in mid-August of “attempt to undermine the external security of the State” and formally imprisoned. Abidjan ensures that these soldiers were on a mission for the UN, as part of logistical support operations for the United Nations Mission in Mali (Minusma) and demands their release. Last weekend, three female soldiers out of the 49 had been released, “a humanitarian gesture” from Mali then qualified as a “good sign” by Abidjan. that the extradition of Malian personalities was part of the discussion on the fate of Ivorian soldiers. “At a time when Côte d’Ivoire is asking for the release of its soldiers, (it) continues to serve as a political asylum for certain Malian personalities subject to international arrest warrants issued by the courts,” said Colonel Goïta. “These same personalities benefit from the protection of Côte d’Ivoire to destabilize Mali”, he insisted. He refers in particular to Karim Keïta, the son of former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta overthrown by the colonels 2020, and Tiéman Hubert Coulibaly, Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs under Karim Keïta.Several mediations in progressSeveral mediations are in progress to obtain the release of the 46 soldiers still prisoners, including that of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé and Malian religious leaders In this case, the UN recognized “dysfunctions” in a note addressed to the Malian government and admitted that “certain measures were not followed”. Côte d’Ivoire, for its part, undertook to “respect United Nations procedures as well as the new Malian rules and provisions enacted, relating to the deployment of military forces in Mali”. Relations between Mali and its Ivorian neighbor have deteriorated from since colonels took over by force in August 2020 the head of this country, which has been facing jihadist attacks since 2012 and plunged into a deep security and political crisis. Bamako accuses Abidjan in particular of having encouraged its West African partners to toughen the sanctions against the Malian soldiers. The sanctions were finally lifted in early July. With AFP