Case of the 49 Ivorian soldiers status quo in Lome

Case of the 49 Ivorian soldiers: status quo in Lomé between Abidjan and Bamako

Published on: 07/31/2022 – 02:32

A review of Togolese mediation in the case of 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested on July 10 upon arrival at Bamako airport. President Faure Gnassingbé received delegations from Mali and Ivory Coast in Lomé on Thursday. According to information from RFI, the stay of the two delegations in the Togolese capital did not bring any positive results.

Minister of State for Defense Téné Binahima Ouattara and Fidèle Sarassoro, Chief of Staff to President Alassane Ouattara, were part of the Ivorian delegation.

The presence of Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop was well noticed on the Malian side.

To take a first impulse, President Faure Gnassingbé, mediatorreceived separately the ambassadors of the two countries.

In order to release the 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested upon arrival at Bamako airport, the Malian government is demanding at least two things: that Côte d’Ivoire officially expresses its “regrets” but also that “Malian nationals” are brought back there alive in Côte d’Ivoire, or simply passing through, sought after by the Malian courts.

To the first point, Côte d’Ivoire answered “no”. And on the second point, Abidjan mentioned the separation of the legislature and the judiciary. The mediation collapsed. As expected, there wasn’t even a final press release sanctioning the end of the meeting. According to a witness, the Ivorians left Lomé in anger. But the entourage of the Togolese President says he will continue to try to find a solution.

Also read: In Côte d’Ivoire, voices are raised in the case of the 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested in Mali