49 Ivorian troops who have been held in custody in Mali for more than a month on mercenary charges have reportedly been charged and remanded in detention.
Recall that the soldiers were detained upon arrival at the airport in Bamako. Authorities in the Ivory Coast have demanded their release and denied any involvement with mercenaries.
The dispute has not been settled despite mediation efforts. The 49 Ivorian soldiers have now reportedly been charged with attempting to compromise state security, according to court officials in Mali who spoke to newsmen.
This seems to be a sign of Mali’s fairly rocky international relations, according to many analysts.
The military rulers in Bamako have strained ties with numerous European countries, including France, in addition to developing a close relationship with Moscow.
There have also been difficult relations in West Africa.The Ivory Coast reportedly pushed for greater economic penalties to be applied in order to hasten the transition to elections, which infuriated the coup leaders in Mali.
