Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years for conspiring against government

A court in Mali sentenced 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast to 20 years imprisonment on Friday for conspiring against the government, and three others to death in
absentia.
Forty-nine Ivorian soldiers were arrested at the airport in Mali’s capital Bamako in July, three of whom were later released. Their arrests led to a diplomatic dispute between the neighbouring countries and widespread condemnation from regional allies.
Mali’s ruling junta said the soldiers were acting as mercenaries, while Ivory Coast said they were part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission.
They were charged with attempting to undermine state security in August and convicted at a trial that began on Thursday and ended on Friday ahead of a Jan. 1 deadline set by West Africa’s main political and economic bloc to release them or face sanctions.