A ministerial delegation from Côte d’Ivoire arrived in Mali yesterday to discuss the possibility of releasing 46 Ivorian soldiers detained in Bamako for five months, in the presence of the Togolese mediator, local media reported.
The two parties succeeded in signing a document to release the Ivorian detainees and strengthen relations between the two countries.
The case of these Ivorian soldiers “accused of undermining the security of the Malian state” was transmitted to the Public Prosecutor’s Office on 25 November, on the instructions of the court of the first instance, and now 2 scenarios are possible: either the abandonment of the proceedings or the trial of the Ivorian soldiers.
After the meeting, the Malian presidency stated on social networks that this agreement should “promote peace” between the two countries in order to “overcome this event”.
Téné Birahima Ouattara, head of the Ivorian delegation and Minister of State for Defence, said the visit to Mali was fruitful while welcoming the agreement reached.