Case of 49 Ivorian soldiers held in Mali: The three women of the group are released

Arrested on July 10 at Bamako airport, three of the 49 Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali were released on Saturday, September 3, 2022. The announcement was made through a joint press briefing in Lomé by Robert Dussey, Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fidèle Sarassoro, Minister Director of Cabinet at the Ivorian Presidency and Abdoulaye Diop, Head of Malian diplomacy.

“I would like to announce that the president of the transition […] of Mali, Assimi Goïta, has agreed […] to proceed with the release of some prisoners,” said Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign minister. This is how the announcement of the release of the three soldiers was made public in Lomé. This case, which has been ongoing since July and in which Togo is playing the role of mediator, has especially pleased the authorities.

“The President of the Togolese Republic is pleased that President Assimi Goïta has agreed to release, as a humanitarian gesture, three of the 49 prisoners. So three Ivorian soldiers have been released and discussions are underway,” said Robert Dussey, before reassuring that talks are continuing to free the remaining 46 soldiers. “Discussions are underway so that, very quickly, the other soldiers in detention can regain their full freedom,” he reassured.

End of the calvary

The three soldiers, accompanied by the head of the Ivorian armed forces, returned to Abidjan on Saturday evening pending the release of the other 46 soldiers.

Arrested on July 10 in Bamako, the 49 soldiers were charged with mercenarism the next day and then indicted in mid-August by the Malian judiciary, notably for “attempting to undermine the external security of the state. Abidjan, on the other hand, asserts that these soldiers were on a mission for the UN, as part of logistical support operations for the UN Mission in Mali (Minusma) and demands their release.

The UN, for its part, had recognized “dysfunctions” in the process and agrees that “certain measures have not been followed” in this case. Since then, several mediations have taken place, including that of the Togolese president, the president of the African Union and Malian religious leaders, to resolve the crisis.

Misunderstandings

“The Republic of Ivory Coast deplores that failures and misunderstandings were at the origin of this highly regrettable event,” said Fidèle Sarassoro, Minister Director of Cabinet at the Ivorian Presidency.

Furthermore, “The Republic of Ivory Coast, anxious to maintain good neighborly relations with Mali, undertakes 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, He added before concluding that “in order to iron out existing differences and thus contribute to the preservation of peace and stability in the sub-region, the Republic of Ivory Coast undertakes to pursue, in a transparent and constructive manner, exchanges and discussions with Mali on all subjects of common interest.