Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace
Member of the Ansar Allah Political Bureau, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti: The Israeli aggression on Yemen will not deter us from continuing to support Gaza, no matter the sacrifices
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Israeli aggression targeted the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street, southwest of the capital, Sanaa, with several raids

Ivory Coast troops held in Mali charged

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 15 Aug 2022 00:06
3 Min Read

Forty-nine Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali suspiciously for being mercenaries are charged with an attempt to harm national security.

  • x
  • Coast troops held in Mali charged and detained.
    Ivory Coast troops held in Mali were charged and detained.

Dozens of Ivorian troops detained in Mali on suspicion of being mercenaries have been charged and remanded in custody, court sources said to AFP on Sunday.

However, negotiations between Ivory Coast and Mali to free the 49 soldiers were still ongoing, according to a source close to the talks.

According to a Malian court source, the troops were charged with attempting to disrupt national security on Friday by a prosecutor in Bamako. They have already been detained for more than a month.     Another source close to the judge, as well as a justice ministry official in Mali, verified the story to AFP.

The Ivory Coast has disputed the charge and asked that the troops be released, claiming that they were reinforcements for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA.

Negotiations to liberate the soldiers have begun, with Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe serving as a mediator. According to a source close to the talks, they made some progress but "stalled over crucial topics," which could explain the return to the legal process. 

"Justice will continue its work, but the negotiations will also continue," the source said.

The troops' detention following their arrival at Bamako airport on July 10 triggered a diplomatic crisis between military-ruled Mali and its West African neighbor.

Talks deadlocked 

Related News

Malian junta arrests generals, French national over reported coup plot

Ukraine’s intelligence accused of supporting attacks in Mali: Reports

Diplomatic sources close to the discussions revealed that Mali is demanding that Ivory Coast accept responsibility for the incident and show remorse for the deployment of the soldiers.

Reports indicated that Bamako also wants Abidjan to hand over those who have been on its territory since 2013 and are wanted in Mali.    

They claimed that Ivory Coast has rejected both demands and is preparing for lengthy discussions to liberate its men.

The Ivory Coast claims the soldiers were wrongfully arrested at Bamako's airport after being dispatched to support the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA. They say their role within the mission was "well-known to the Malian authorities".      

Mali's military-led administration, on the other hand, claims they were detained after landing on a special flight without proper documentation and refers to them as "mercenaries."      

Read next: UN peacekeeping rotations to resume in Mali starting Monday

A day after the troops were detained, MINUSMA spokesman Olivier Salgado endorsed Ivory Coast's claim, but the peacekeeping operation later acknowledged "dysfunctions" in the deployment of the Ivorian forces.

Mali's authorities then barred Salgado from the nation for publishing "inappropriate material" about the affair. It also suspended rotations of UN peacekeeping troops, but they are set to resume on Monday.    

The junta accused Ivory Coast of urging regional partners to impose harsh sanctions on Mali, which were later lifted.   

Since an August 2020 coup deposed elected leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita following huge demonstrations over the management of a long-running and brutal insurgency, Mali has been governed by the military.

Read next: Germany to suspend replacing French forces in Mali

  • Mali
  • Ivory Coast
  • MINUSMA

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Palestine will not be liberated by UN reports, but by pursuing a different strategic horizon: one that does not beg for recognition. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Economy of Genocide: Albanese's report accuses, but doesn't dismantle system

  • Opinion
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS