We want the Malian authorities to release the Ivorian soldiers by January 1, 2023, at the latest, said Omar Touray, chairman of the ECOWAS commission.
An unnamed West African diplomat told AFP that ECOWAS would impose sanctions if that didn't work. Touray added that ECOWAS will act if the soldiers were not freed by January 1 as well.
The West African ambassador continued by saying that Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé, who serves as an intermediary between Mali and Ivory Coast, would visit there to "demand" the soldiers' release.
The tensions between Mali and Côte d'Ivoire and ECOWAS have been high ever since Mali detained 49 Ivorian soldiers upon their arrival in Bamako on July 10. In the end, three were set free.
These men were tasked with assisting in the protection of the German forces stationed in Mali, according to Côte d'Ivoire and the UN. However, Bamako asserts that they are "mercenaries" aiming to compromise Mali's security.