Ivory Coast Demands Release Of 49 Soldiers Arrested By Mali

Ivory Coast has demanded the release of 49 of its soldiers arrested in Mali.

Ivory Coast says its men are part of a security support deal signed with the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali in 2019.

Aljazeera on Wednesday cited this as an incident that may worsen tensions between Mali’s military rulers and other West African nations amid efforts to quell activities by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS group) and restore democratic rule.

The Ivorian national security council said the soldiers were arrested on Sunday at Mali’s international airport in Bamako.

It added that the soldiers were the eighth rotation sent to Mali under the UN convention and their mission order had been sent to airport authorities and the military government before arrival.

Mali’s military government had said the troops arrived without permission, and that some of their passports indicated non-military professions.

It said the soldiers would be considered mercenaries and then charged.

Ivory Coast added that none of the soldiers carried arms or war munitions as they disembarked but that a second plane contained arms for self-protection authorised by the UN.