The 49 Ivorian soldiers detained for more than a month in Mali were charged and imprisoned on Friday August 12 for ” breach of state security “. They are accused by the military in power in Mali of being ” mercenaries », which Abidjan denies. The group of Ivorian soldiers has been detained since July 10 in Bamako.
It is, according to this reason, that the public prosecutor of Mali, Samba Sissoko, charged the 49 Ivorian soldiers on Friday.
According to our information, he received the 49 soldiers divided into three groups, to notify them of what the Malian courts are accusing them of.
The Ivorian soldiers, who include at least two women among them, would not be detained in the civil prison of Bamako, but in the military camp where they had been since their arrest on July 10.
This court decision surprises many observers. Until then, Abidjan and Bamako favored negotiations for the release of the soldiers. Togo, despite the failure of a first round of negotiations in Lomé, continues to play the role of main mediator in the case while other countries and actors are helping to find a happy outcome.
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According to a source familiar with the matter, Bamako has set the bar very high, and Côte d’Ivoire did not want to give in.
On the Ivorian side, contacted by RFI, the general staff of the armies calms things down. Do not trust the effects of announcements he says. ” Several mediations are in progress, we are waiting for them to let us know the results obtained “, he added.
► Read also Mali: 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested in Bamako, “mercenaries” according to the authorities