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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday received updates from former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, on the face-off between Mali and Cote D’Ivoire over detained Ivorian soldiers.
Jonathan, who is ECOWAS Special Envoy on the situation in Mali, briefed Buhari at State House, Abuja.
According to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari said Nigeria is committed to promoting peace and harmony among ECOWAS countries.
President Buhari pledged an initiative from Nigeria, towards immediate resolution of the impasse.
About 49 Ivorian soldiers had been detained in Mali for ‘unlawful entry,’ and only the three females in the team have been released, leaving 46. The development is threatening a rupture in the relationship between the two countries.
Cote D’Ivoire has condemned the act as ‘hostage taking,’ and says it may take action, hence the need for intervention of ECOWAS leaders, as advocated by the Special Envoy, former President Jonathan.
