The Malian government has reacted following the arrest of Ivorian soldiers on Sunday at the Bamako airport, describing the soldiers as mercenaries.

In a press release released on Monday evening, the government said four different versions were put forward by the soldiers arrested to justify their presence on Malian territory, namely: a confidential mission, a  rotation within the framework of the MINUSMA, the securing of the logistics base of the airline "Sahelian Aviation Services" and the protection of the German contingent. 

To find out more, officials from the Malian Defense and Security Forces immediately contacted their Ivorian counterparts. The latter affirmed that they knew nothing of the presence of the Ivorian soldiers arrested in Mali.

Sankulleh Janko has the rest of the details