Published: Less than 20 min ago
The 46 soldiers from the Ivory Coast who have been imprisoned in Mali since last summer have all been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Three women released in September were sentenced to death in absentia.
The capture of the soldiers has led to a diplomatic row, and in early December the West African cooperation body Ecowas said it would impose sanctions on Mali if the soldiers were not released before the end of the year.
The soldiers were flown on 10 July this year to Mali in support of the German units participating in the UN’s peacekeeping operation in the country. But they were arrested shortly after landing in Mali’s capital, Bamako, branded as mercenaries and accused of trying to undermine security.
The row escalated when Mali wanted Ivory Coast to officially express regret for sending the soldiers to the country. They also wanted to have a number of people extradited – demands Ivory Coast refused to agree to.