49 Ivorian soldiers have been held in Mali since Monday, July 11, « for verification » by the Malian authorities. They arrived in Bamako on Sunday by a special flight, according to corroborating sources, and are accused of being « mercenaries » by the Malian state. According to Abidjan, the presence of its soldiers, as part of logistical support operations for the United Nations mission in Mali (Minusma), is « well known to the Malian authorities.
« Côte d’Ivoire, which has always worked within sub-regional, regional and international bodies for peace, stability and respect for the rule of law, cannot be part of a logic of destabilization of a third country, » said a statement from the Ivorian presidency issued after an extraordinary National Security Council (NSC). « No Ivorian soldier of this contingent was in possession of weapons and ammunition of war, » the statement added.
« It has been established that 49 Ivorian soldiers were illegally on the national territory of Mali (…) in possession of weapons and ammunition of war, without a mission order or authorization, » said Malian government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga in a statement read out on national television Monday evening.
Following the communiqué issued by the Ivorian National Security Council, the UN conducted investigations to determine the reasons for the presence of the 49 Ivorian soldiers on Malian territory.
After verification, it was mentioned that these soldiers do not have the status of national support elements of the NSE as stipulated by the National Security Council of Côte d’Ivoire yesterday.
The reasons for their presence on Malian territory have not yet been determined, but one thing is certain, the UN has never authorized any landing of the Ivorian army in Mali.
Investigations are currently underway to shed light on this matter.
For its part, the Malian government claims that these soldiers have put forward four different versions to justify their presence on Malian territory: « the confidential mission, the rotation within the framework of Minusma, the securing of the SAS logistical base and the protection of the German contingent.
Colonel Assimi Goïta, head of the Malian military junta, said Tuesday in a tweet that he had a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. « We discussed the support » of the UN « to the transition process in Mali and I reiterated the need for partners to respect the sovereignty of Mali, » he wrote. The meeting was confirmed by the UN.
News of the arrest of Ivorian soldiers began to spread on social networks on Sunday before going viral, with some accusing the soldiers of having come to carry out a putsch.
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