Arrested in September 2023 in Burkina Faso territory when they had just accidentally crossed the border between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, both were handed over to the authorities in Abidjan on November 29. The announcement was made this Wednesday, December 4 by the spokesperson for the Ivorian government, Amadou Coulibaly, following the Council of Ministers.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan, Abdoul Aziz Diallo
They were kept far from their families and their homeland. After exactly one year, two months and ten days of captivity in Burkina Fasotwo Ivorian gendarmes who were arrested in September 2023 after inadvertently entering Burkinabe territory while tracking illegal gold miners near the border between the two countries have finally regained their freedom.
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Returning to Ivory Coast since November 29, they were released thanks to discreet but effective mediation led by the Togowhich the spokesperson for the Ivorian government, Amadou Coulibaly, did not fail to welcome, Wednesday December 4, at the end of the Council of Ministers: “ The President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattaraexpressed his warm thanks to the president [togolais] Faure Eyadema whose personal involvement enabled the happy outcome of this situation », declared this one.
A sign of openness likely to lead to an easing of relations between the two countries?
Since their arrest, the fate of the two Ivorian gendarmes stationed at the Bouna squadron had remained unclear. Although they were taken to Ouagadougou just after their arrest, no formal accusation against them was subsequently made public by the transitional authorities.
According to Professor Arthur Banga, a specialist in defense issues, this outcome could lead to an easing of relations – often tense – between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. This liberation is “ a sign of openness which shows that there is still a certain communication between them, that channels can lead to positive results, he explains. CHowever, it must be recognized: relations between the two countries are in a difficult phase where suspicions remain very strong. » In recent months, the Burkinabè military junta has, for example, repeatedly accused its Ivorian neighbor of attempts at destabilization.
According to an Ivorian government source, the release of the two Ivorian gendarmes was accompanied by an exchange. An additional member of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP) and a Burkinabè soldier arrested in Ivory Coast last March were also repatriated to their country.
Also readIvory Coast: a soldier and a civilian auxiliary of the Burkinabè army arrested in the north of the country