The current president of the African Union is expected this Monday morning in the Malian capital where he is to meet with the head of the junta. A “friendship and work” visit which comes the day following the indictment of 49 Ivorian soldiers by the Malian courts.
© Romain Gaillard/REA
Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and current Chairman of the African Union.
Macky Sall, who is expected this Monday morning in Bamako, will be welcomed there by Like Goita. The two men must then meet during an exchange behind closed doors at the presidential palace, before an official lunch. The current president of the African Union and the president of the Malian transition have also planned to hold a joint press conference following their meeting.
Ivorian soldiers
This “friendship and work visit”, the first of the President of the African Union to Mali since the fall of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in August 2020, comes in a tense context between the Malian authorities and the pan-African organization. Among the many topics on the agenda, the case of the 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested on July 10 will be at the heart of the discussions.
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On Friday, August 12, the Ivorian soldiers, detained for more than a month in Bamako, were charged with “attempting to undermine state security” and placed under arrest warrant. Abidjan assures that they 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.
Difficult negotiations
The negotiation seemed for the moment the privileged way to obtain the release of these soldiers, arrested on their arrival at Bamako airport. Togo plays the role of mediator between Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, but the first negotiations, on July 28 in Lomé, failed to register any progress.
To read Côte d’Ivoire-Mali: the difficult mediation of the UN for the release of Ivorian soldiers
According to a source close to the discussions initiated under the aegis of Togo, quoted by Agence France-Presse, “the discussions, however advanced, have come up once morest certain points, which may explain this judicial return in force to the case”. “Justice will continue its work, but the negotiations will also continue,” she added.
With AFP
