The 46 Ivorian soldiers suspected of being “mercenaries” and detained in Mali since July, were sentenced on Friday to twenty years of criminal imprisonment for “attack and conspiracy against the government” and “undermining the external security of the State” , Attorney General Ladji Sara said in a statement.
The three female Ivorian soldiers released in early September by Bamako were sentenced to death in absentia following the trial held Thursday and Friday in Bamako, before the expiration of the ultimatum set for the 1st January by the West African heads of state to the Malian junta to release the 46 soldiers still imprisoned.
“Unfortunate incident” and “misunderstanding”
This trial, which took place behind closed doors before the Bamako Court of Appeal, took place a week after a visit by an official Ivorian delegation in a “fraternal” spirit, which ended with the signing of a memorandum.
The content of the discussions concerning the Ivorian soldiers had not been made public, but the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdoulaye Diop spoke to the press of an “unfortunate incident”, while the Ivorian Minister of Defense spoke of a ” misunderstanding”.
The agreement reached between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire last week leaves open the possibility of a presidential pardon for the head of the Malian junta, Assimi Goïta, who is due to speak on Saturday on the occasion of his wishes to the Nation.