Published on : 12/09/2022 – 10:28
The day following 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 “hostage” its 46 soldiers detained since 10 July in Mali.
Côte d’Ivoire considers that its 46 soldiers detained in Mali for two months are “hostages”, following declarations by the junta in power in Bamako conditioning their release on the extradition of Malian political figures living in Abidjan.
“It 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”, however added this source who hopes that the Malian junta “will reconsider 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 the same source, and should discuss the subject.
“If by then nothing is settled through diplomatic channels, ECOWAS will be forced to take sanctions,” she predicted.
Accusations of Colonel Goïta targeting the Ivory Coast
On July 10, 49 Ivorian soldiers were arrested in Mali, described as “mercenaries”, then charged in mid-August with “attempt to undermine the external security of the State” and formally imprisoned. Abidjan assures 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 49 were released, “a humanitarian gesture” from Mali then qualified as a “good sign” by Abidjan.
But on Friday, the leader of the ruling junta in Bamako, Colonel Assimi Goïta, spoke of a necessary “compensation”, confirming reports that the extradition of Malian figures 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 who are the subject of international arrest warrants issued by the courts”, said Colonel Goita. “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 in 2020, and Tiéman Hubert Coulibaly, Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs under Karim Keïta.
Several mediations in progress
Several mediations are underway 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 had recognized “dysfunctions” in a note addressed to the Malian government and admitted that “certain measures were not followed”.
Côte d’Ivoire, for its part, has undertaken to “respect the procedures of the United Nations 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 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 once morest the Malian soldiers. The sanctions were finally lifted in early July.
With AFP
