Ivory Coast: The government under fire in the case of the 49 soldiers detained in Mali.

The opposition and civil society disagree with the government’s handling of the case of the 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested in Mali. They ask for more transparency and demand the opening of a parliamentary enquiry.

After a long period of silence, the opposition and civil society have raised their voices to criticise the poor management of the case by the Ivorian authorities. Their main demand is full transparency in this confusing matter.

In the morning of Thursday 21 July, Katinan Koné, spokesman for the PPA-CI, the party of Laurent Gbagbo, demanded the opening of a parliamentary enquiry to sort out the truth from the falsehood and continued in these terms: “We are embarrassed that our soldiers are in this situation. So we ask that they return to the country, but through diplomatic channels, without this concealing or preventing the search for the truth regarding their presence there ”.

At the same time, the Ivorian Office for Human Rights (OIDH) also commented on the subject. Selon son président Eric-Aimé Sémien, les ministres devaient rendre des comptes à la population durant cette période confuse.

” We are saying this so that a single truth is told and known, in front of parliamentarians who are mandated by us and who will question the ministers, the Minister of Defence in particular and the Minister of the Interior on the state of these 49 Ivorians, who are fathers of families“., declaredEric-Aimé Sémien. For the President of the OIDH, the conditions of detention of these 49 soldiers must be a major concern for all.

It should be noted that the opposition and civil society have nevertheless welcomed the ongoing mediation of Togolese diplomacy to free the soldiers and the readiness of President Alassane Ouattara to discuss with Mali.