In Bamako, Gnassingbé pleads for a presidential pardon
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A short visit – a few hours – by the President of Togo to Bamako, on Wednesday, January 4, to discuss the fate of 46 Ivorian soldiers detained since last July in Mali, a file in which Lomé is mediating. These soldiers were sentenced last week to twenty years in prison for attacking and plotting against the government of Asme Gota. Even if Faure Gnassingbe avoids the press, his visit is an important step.
With our correspondent in the area, Serge Daniel
Upon his arrival, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe made no statement to the press. According to eyewitnesses, he hurried to get into a car with the transitional president of Mali, Colonel Asimi Guetta, towards Kolobuba, the seat of the presidential palace in Bamako.
I thank Colonel Assimi Goïta @employeePresident of the transitional period and the people of Mali, for the warm welcome he received today in Bamako.
We will discuss bilateral cooperation, and topics of common interest, including peace, security, and regional integration pic.twitter.com/ItJsK916BO
– Faure E. GNASSINGBÉ (@FEGnassingbe) January 4, 2023
It was a matter of evoking what a source familiar with the matter described as ” final settings “, in a The case of the 46 Ivorian soldiers He was sentenced last week 20 years in prison in Mali. We expect, in fact, a possible financial presidential pardon, which could put an end to the file.
To date, Togo has fought and continues to fight for a happy outcome in this case, and the Malian authorities do not hide the fact that they prefer Togo’s mediation to that of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
from his side, “ There will be no ECOWAS sanctions against Mali in the near future Despite the deadline set in Bamako for the release of 46 soldiers from Cote d’Ivoire, Umaro Sissoko Embalo, President of Guinea-Bissau and current chair of the Economic Community of West African States, told the press on Wednesday.
” We have been given time to let the Togolese mediation do its work to resolve the issue. Umaru Sissoko Embalo added. For the President of Guinea-Bissau, this extra period is nothing but ” A matter of common sense “.
Head of Transition, His Excellency Col @employeeThe Head of State received, on January 4, 2023, the President of the Republic of Togo, His Excellency Faure Gnassingbé, on a 24-hour friendly and working visit to Mali. pic.twitter.com/SlDVqSbyOu
Presidency Mali January 4, 2023
After the meeting in Quluba, nothing escaped the talks between the two leaders. Witnesses who saw them leave the palace claim that their faces were not covered. A pointer for the future, for a quick result so that the Ivorian soldiers regain their freedom thanks to the presidential law?
Anyway, Lumi is working on it. Mali and Ivory Coast as well. Relations between the two countries have recently improved with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.