Published on : 14/07/2022 – 04:10
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire delivered Wednesday, July 13 its details on the presence of its 49 soldiers arrested at Bamako airport on Sunday. The Ivorian army insists that the arrested contingent is indeed on an official mission in Mali as part of the operations of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, Minusma. But the UN is struggling to clarify whether these deployments that began in 2019 have as clear a mission as Abidjan claims.
Initially, the UN teams, both in New York and in Bamako, corroborated the Ivorian version. But after cross-checking, new information revealed that the Ivorian soldiers were not considered as national support elements (NSE) by the United Nations, and for the organization, it was above all a bilateral affairreport our correspondent at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Carrie Nootenand our journalist at the Africa service, David Bache.
This was confirmed by Fahran Faq, spokesperson for the United Nations: Ivorian troops do not belong to the forces of Minusma. A request from Côte d’Ivoire to deploy national support elements was approved in 2019. However, no troops have been deployed under this convention since then. We strongly encourage the two countries to work together to resolve the situation and enable the release of the detained troops. »
Clearly, Abidjan did sign an agreement in 2019 with the UN to be able to deploy its logistical support. But if soldiers have been sent to Bamako over the past three years, this has not been organized within the framework of this convention: in the end, they were therefore legally, legally and administratively not considered as NSEs.
Is this a simple administrative mess, a formalization error? Does the fault lie with the Ivorian army or the UN teams? Questions remain unanswered
Abdijan insists that the 49 soldiers are part of the NSE with UN mandate
Despite this information, the Ivorian General Staff repeats that the contingent of 49 soldiers is indeed part of the National Support Elements (NSE) and that it was therefore legitimate, as initially confirmed by the Minusma spokesperson at day after their arrest, reports our correspondent in Abidjan, Sidy Yansane.
The high military hierarchy recalls that seven of these NSEs have succeeded each other in the past without the slightest problem. This is why Colonel Guézoa Mahi Armand, External Operations Advisor to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, rejects the accusation of ” mercenariat launched by the Malian authorities:
« The MOU signed with the UN authorizes us to hold arms, to protect ourselves and the installations that shelter us, and I remind you all the same that it is about terrorists in Mali. The transport of this material was carried out in accordance with the regulations, that is to say one plane for the personnel and another for the armaments and ammunition. They therefore did not land with weapons in hand, and, dressed in uniforms, they did not hide their identity. All this controversy should not take place. »
The senior officer also explains that his elements could not be registered in the files of the Minusma, because they were arrested as soon as they landed at Bamako airport, thus preventing them from carrying out the usual administrative formalities.
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The Malian political class pro and against the junta calls for appeasement
If the general incomprehension continues, due to the radically different versions, and if Abidjan asks for the release ” without delay of its soldiers, Bamako has announced that it wants to bring them to justice. Faced with the delicacy of the situation, Malian political figures generally plead for appeasement and diplomacy.
A member of an organization favorable to the Malian transitional authorities believes that the Ivorians are at fault and that ” it is time for some heads of state to stop destabilizing the sub-region for the benefit of western powers he said, referring to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and France, respectively.
Another pro-junta political cadre believes that the ” confusion surrounding the arrival of the 49 Ivorian soldiers is a serious misconduct from Abidjan, but pleads for them not to be tried in the end. ” Only the diplomatic channel “can, according to him, make it possible to get out of a situation” very risky “, which can even lead to ” to a military confrontation ».
A former minister opposed to the current transitional authorities shares the fear of weapons. Except that he fears that Bamako will inflame the conflict to flatter national pride, even if it means ” blow up the country ».
Silence on the side of civil society
Several other party leaders and former ministers point to the ” shortcomings of Abidjan, but do not believe at all in an attempt at destabilization. They recall that the two countries have important economic relations and that two million Malians live in Côte d’Ivoire.
For them, the aggressiveness displayed by Bamako is a ” clumsiness “even a” flight forward “. They advocate ” dialogue » et « to diplomacy in the interest of Malians, and note the silence of civil society organizations: according to them, these are usually quick to laud the authorities’ acts of brilliance. ” The main thing is elsewhereconcludes a former minister, and especially inside the country. »