A Mali lawmaker has received a three-year prison sentence in neighboring Ivory Coast for insulting the 84-year-old Ivorian leader, who recently secured a fourth term in office.
Mamadou Hawa Gassama, a member of Mali’s transitional parliament established by the junta, faced arrest last July during a visit to Ivory Coast.
Prosecutors reported that he labeled President Alassane Ouattara a “tyrant” and an “enemy of Mali,” while also expressing strong criticisms of his leadership through interviews and social media platforms.
Since the military coup in Mali in 2020, tensions between Mali and Ivory Coast have escalated. Ouattara, an ally of France, the former colonial power in both countries, has openly criticized the coup and subsequent uprisings in West Africa.
Following Gassama’s arrest in Abidjan last July, the authorities in Bamako have refrained from commenting on the situation.
Gassama’s lawyer, Mamadou Ismaila Konate, expressed concerns, stating, “We believe that this decision is excessive and very severe,” as reported by the AFP news agency.
Prosecutors contended that Gassama’s statements exceeded acceptable political discourse, accusing him of intentionally attempting to undermine Ivorian institutions and create discord between the two nations.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the diplomatic tensions that erupted two years post-coup, when 49 Ivorian soldiers received 20-year prison sentences in Mali for allegedly undermining state security.
At that time, Ivory Coast denied the allegations, asserting that the soldiers had been dispatched to Mali as part of a UN mission aimed at combating militant Islamists. They were eventually released following mediation efforts led by Togo.
In the aftermath, Mali’s military leaders have facilitated the withdrawal of both UN peacekeeping forces and French troops, which had been deployed in 2013 to address a rising jihadist threat.
Instead of maintaining ties with the West, Mali has pursued closer relations with Russia, bringing in Russian mercenaries to tackle the insecurity plaguing several nations across the expansive Sahel region.
