Ivory Coast on Tuesday called for the immediate release of 49 of its soldiers who were arrested by Malian security forces on Sunday at the international airport in Bamako, reported The Reuters. Mali’s government accused them of being mercenaries.
In a statement, Mali’s military government said its forces had captured 49 soldiers who had come into the country from the Ivory Coast without permission and with the intent to stage a coup.
The soldiers were carrying weapons, ammunition and other military equipment, according to the government statement. It added that Ivorian authorities were unaware of their arrival.
But, the Ivory Coast government on Tuesday confirmed that the soldiers were registered in the workforce of the country’s army, and were in Mali as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.
In a statement, Ivory Coast’s national Security Council said they were the eighth rotation sent to Mali under the convention and their mission order had been sent to both airport authorities and the junta before arrival.
As per reports, the soldiers were working for the Sahelian Aviation Services, a private company contracted by the UN.
UN Deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the contingent was not a formal part of their peacekeeping mission in Mali, but were deployed by Troop Contributing Countries in support of their contingents.
Mali’s government said it intends to put an end to the protection activity of the Sahelian Aviation Services by foreign forces and will demand their departure from Malian territory.
The government even asked the Sahelian Aviation Services to entrust its security to the Malian defense and security forces.
In June, Mali’s transitional government said it would not authorize the UN mission to investigate ongoing human rights violations in Mali. France has also announced the withdrawal of its forces, which were deployed there nearly a decade ago to help fight extremist rebels.
