Mali declares 49 detained Ivorian troops ‘mercenaries’

Bamako, Mali – (AFP):

Mali has said that the 49 Ivory Coast troops whom it detained were “mercenaries”.

“It has been established that the 49 Ivorian soldiers were illegally on the national territory of Mali,” government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga said in a statement read on state TV, calling the men “mercenaries”.

Maiga added that the soldiers were armed, carried ammunition and had no mission order or authorization, saying they had the “dark aim” of stopping the protection and reform of Mali and its return to a constitutional order.

An Ivorian diplomat previously said some of the soldiers had been sent to join the UN’s peacekeeping mission MINUSMA.

The force said it believed they were part of a unit that provided routine logistical support to the Ivorian military contingent of MINUSMA.

MINUSMA spokesman Olivier Salgado said the transfer of the troops would have been notified to the Malian authorities in advance.

An Ivorian diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity that some of the soldiers came to work for German company Sahelian Aviation Service (SAS) on MINUSMA’s behalf.

But the Malian government said its foreign ministry had not been informed via official channels, highlighting a “flagrant violation” of its penal code relating to territorial integrity.