Mali’s junta leader suspended the prison sentences of 46 Ivorian soldiers arrested last year, ending a diplomatic spat with neighboring Ivory Coast that risked further destabilizing West Africa’s volatile Sahel region.
(Bloomberg) — Mali’s junta leader suspended the prison sentences of 46 Ivorian soldiers arrested last year, ending a diplomatic spat with neighboring Ivory Coast that risked further destabilizing West Africa’s volatile Sahel region.
The soldiers were arrested as they arrived in Mali’s capital Bamako in July, accused of trying to destabilize the government. They were sentenced on Dec. 30 to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay large fines. Three female soldiers, who were later released, were sentenced to death.
The pardon will “promote peace and reinforce the friendly relations” with Mali’s neighbor, government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga, said in an emailed statement late Friday.
Mali finds itself increasingly alienated from its West African neighbors and international partners including France, following an Aug. 2020 coup. The country has been engulfed in an Islamist insurgency since 2012 that has since spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast said it would withdraw their soldiers from the 13,000-strong peacekeeping force after the troops’ arrest.
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