Arrests in Mali: “The junta is angry with Côte d’Ivoire over ECOWAS sanctions”

Published on : 13/07/2022 – 07:09

Ivorian soldiers during the inauguration of the Jacqueville military academy near Abidjan, June 10, 2021. © REUTERS / Luc Gnago

After the arrest of 49 Ivorian soldiers on Sunday at Bamako airport, whom the ruling junta describes as mercenaries, it is the showdown between Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. Abidjan ensures for its part that it is indeed soldiers of the regular army who came to secure sites of the United Nations Mission in Mali (Minusma). But nothing to do, Bamako does not want to hear anything. Analysis by Arthur Banga, historian and professor at Félix-Houphouët-Boigny University in Abidjan.