While Colonel Assimi Goita asked last Friday for the extradition of Malian political figures who have taken up residence in Ivory Coast, Abidjan in turn accused the Malian authorities on Sunday of having held captive its soldiers arrested since July 10 in Mali.
Before releasing the 46 remaining Ivorian soldiers held in Bamako, the Malian junta demanded the extradition of Malian political authorities residing in Abidjan. In response to this deal, Ivory Coast refers to its soldiers being “taken hostage”. “This is a hostage situation that will not go unchallenged. Our position is clear: this deal is unacceptable,” a source close to the Ivorian presidency told AFP on Sunday, September 11. She added, however, that “We still favor a diplomatic solution. We must avoid the politics of the worst”, before hoping that the Malian junta “will reconsider its position”.
This statement came as last Friday, Colonel Assimi Goita conditioned the release of these soldiers in question by speaking of “consideration”. At a time when Ivory Coast 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 justice system,” he said before adding that “These same personalities benefit from the protection of Ivory Coast to destabilize Mali. The Malian junta in power in Mali is referring to the son of former President IBK, Karim Keïta, former Prime Minister Boubou Cissé and former Minister Tiéman Hubert Coulibaly, against whom the Malian judiciary has issued international arrest warrants in various cases.
Only a week ago, Bamako released the group’s three female soldiers. A humanitarian gesture from Mali that Ivory Coast has described as a “good sign”. In any case, for the moment, several mediations are underway to appease both sides. These include Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé and Malian religious leaders. And according to our source, an extraordinary summit of ECOWAS is to be held next week in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and should address the issue.
As a reminder, on Sunday, July 10, 49 Ivorian soldiers were arrested at Bamako airport on their way to Mali as part of a Minusma operation. Described as “mercenaries” by the Malian junta, they were imprisoned in mid-August for “attempting to undermine the external security of the state” and are anxiously awaiting trial.
