3 women among Ivorian troops held in Mali released: diplomats

Three women among the 49 Ivorian soldiers held since July in Mali accused of being mercenaries in an ongoing dispute between the two countries have been released, two diplomats told AFP Saturday.

"I give you the good news: As a humanitarian gesture, Mali has released the three women from the contingent of 49 Ivorian soldiers", a Malian diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

A Togolese diplomat also confirmed the news of the three soldiers' release.

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe has been acting as a mediator in the dispute, which has sparked a diplomatic crisis between military-ruled Mali and its West African neighbour.

The soldiers were arrested after their arrival at Bamako airport on July 10.

Ivory Coast says they were unfairly detained after being sent to provide backup for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA. They say their role within the mission was "well-known to the Malian authorities".

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Mali's government however says they were detained after landing on a special flight without supporting documents and has described them as mercenaries.

A day after the detention of the troops, MINUSMA spokesman Olivier Salgado backed Ivory Coast's position, but the peacekeeping mission subsequently acknowledged there had been "dysfunctions" in deploying the Ivorian troops.

The authorities in Mali subsequently expelled Salgado from the country for having published "unacceptable information" on the affair.

It also suspended rotations of UN peacekeeping troops, although they have since resumed.

Long list of charges

In mid-August, Malian prosecutors filed charges against all 49 soldiers, the charges including conspiracy and harm to state security.

Public prosecutor Samba Sissoko on August 15 said the charges comprised "criminal association, attacking and plotting against the government, harming state external security, holding, carrying and transporting combat weapons and complicity in these crimes".

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But negotiations continued, according to diplomatic sources close to the talks, who said Mali was demanding that Ivory Coast acknowledge its responsibility in the affair and express its regrets for the deployment of the soldiers.

Bamako also wanted Abidjan to hand over people who have been on its territory since 2013 who are wanted in Mali, said the sources in mid-August.

The junta has accused Ivory Coast of encouraging regional partners to impose harsh sanctions on Mali that were lifted in July.

Mali has been dominated by the military since an August 2020 coup ousted elected leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita following mass protests over the handling of a long-running and bloody jihadist insurgency.

MINSUMA is one of the forces in the Sahel state to help it fight rebels linked with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which began their operations in 2012 and have spread their influence across northern and central Mali.

Source: AFP