On July 10, 49 Ivorian soldiers were arrested upon their arrival at Bamako airport, accused by the Malian authorities of being mercenaries.
However, the Ivorian authorities claim that these soldiers arrived in Mali as part of United Nations support operations. Version confirmed by several United Nations officials; specifying that these 49 soldiers were not part of the blue helmet contingent, but of the NSE mechanism by which a troop-contributing country can provide additional support of soldiers to the mission.
Various statements and assertions by some UN officials confirm the membership of the 49 soldiers in the mission; when others say otherwise. All this reinforces the vagueness around this situation. The Abidjan authorities, for their part, are asking Bamako to release these soldiers without delay.
However, there is speculation that Mali is accusing Côte d’Ivoire of inciting ECOWAS to impose economic and political sanctions on it.
Would this arrest of Ivorian soldiers on Malian soil be a warning to the authorities in Abidjan?
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