Ivorian troops arrested in Mali charged with undermining state security

In Mali, the prosecutor has said that the 49 Ivory Coast soldiers held since July on accusations of being mercenaries have now been charged with undermining state security. Mali's prosecutor in the counterterrorism unit gave an update on the soldiers' situation. Ivory Coast has been demanding the release of the soldiers since their detention July 10.The soldiers are charged with criminal association, attack and conspiracy against the government. The Ivorian soldiers were detained upon their arrival in Mali at the airport in Bamako, the capital. They were sent to Mali to secure a building belonging to an airline company that was carrying out a contract with the German contingent of peacekeepers with the United Nations mission in Mali, MINUSMA..However, Mali’s ruling junta considers the Ivorian soldiers to be “mercenaries” because they are not directly employed by the U.N. mission and therefore are not “national support elements.” The arrest of the soldiers after their arrival at Bamako airport  has sparked a diplomatic crisis between military-ruled Mali and its West African neighbour, 

Diplomatic sources  say Mali is demanding that Ivory Coast acknowledge its responsibility in the affair and express its regrets for the deployment of the soldiers. Bamako also wants Abidjan to hand over people who have been on its territory since 2013 who are wanted in Mali, said the sources. Ivory Coast has rejected both demands and is preparing for extended negotiations to free its men, they added. The junta has accused Ivory Coast of encouraging regional partners to impose harsh sanctions on Mali that were lifted in July. Mali has been dominated by the military since an August 2020 coup ousted elected leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita following mass protests over the handling of a long-running and bloody jihadist insurgency. MINSUMA is one of the forces in the Sahel state to help it fight rebels linked with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which began their operations in 2012 and have spread their influence across northern and central Mali.