Published on : 04/09/2022 – 23:49
Mali on Saturday released three soldiers among the 49 Ivorian soldiers detained since July 10 in Bamako. These are three women, who were welcomed on Saturday evening by their families at Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport. This release was made possible by the many discussions initiated in recent weeks, including the mediation of Togo. Discussions are continuing regarding the other 46 soldiers.
« End of Calvary For the three soldiers, rejoices the RHDP, on its Twitter account. ” This release is a first gesture and proves that there is room for maneuver “, Also welcomes another actor in political life, who hopes that diplomacy will do its job these days.
The talks between the Ivorian and Malian authorities should therefore continue under the aegis of several personalities from the sub-region, explains our correspondent in Abidjan, Bineta Diagne. In addition to Togolese mediation, the current president of the African Union, Macky Sall, intervened to resolve this situation.
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Facing the press on Saturday evening, Fidel Sarassoro, the Ivorian president’s chief of staff, assured that Côte d’Ivoire was committed ” to respect the procedures of the United Nations and the new Malian rules and provisions relating to the deployment of military forces in Mali ».
Will these guarantees be enough to convince Bamako to release the remaining 46 soldiers? If yes, when? And above all, under what conditions? In Abidjan, the authorities remain discreet on the subject. But Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé and his Foreign Minister Robert Dussey are already taking new initiatives.
Togolese diplomacy still mobilized
Abidjan, it is said in Lomé, took a big step by recognizing dysfunctions, particularly in the UN system, when the Ivorian soldiers arrived on Malian territory on July 10. Abidjan, continues the same Togolese source, went further by officially affirming its desire to consolidate relations with Bamako.
It was one of the wishes of the Malian side. ” We recognize there that a lock has jumped and that our Ivorian brothers have spoken very soothing words », comments a Malian official. On the side of the Malian justice, it is said to continue the study of the file by observing the negotiations in progress.
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Tuesday is held in Lomé the third meeting of the Malian transition support group. The authorities want to encourage several countries present to support the Malian junta for the rest of the transition. A posture of Togo which could in particular advance the file of the 46 Ivorian soldiers still in detention.
” A glimmer of hope “
The return of these three soldiers arouses hope. Reached by RFI, Yeo Pepegaligui, spokesperson for the “I am 49” movement launched by the Ivorian Youth Federation for the release of the 49 soldiers, wants to believe that the release of the other 46 will follow from one moment to another.
« For us, it is a glimmer of hope and it shows, for those who still doubted it, that the 49 soldiers of the Ivorian army, on Malian soil, are not mercenaries. What gives us hope are our fraternal ties in the search for this peaceful solution. Everything that has been done, since the arrest of our 49 soldiers, has truly led the Malian military junta to understand that we are family because the religious, the civil society movements and all those who could weigh in, I want say through their influence to resolve this situation, got into the game. The Ivorian authorities chose the path of diplomacy, the peaceful path, and therefore we believe that it was only three soldiers who were released, but the other 46 will follow any moment “, he believes.
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