In a case highlighting ongoing diplomatic tensions between West African neighbors, Malian transitional parliament member Mamadou Hawa Gassama has been sentenced to three years imprisonment in Ivory Coast for publicly insulting Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. The controversial verdict was delivered after prosecutors successfully argued that Gassama’s characterization of the 84-year-old leader as a “tyrant” and “enemy of Mali” during media interviews and social media posts constituted deliberate institutional undermining rather than legitimate political criticism.
Gassama, known for his outspoken political stance, was arrested during a July visit to Abidjan while serving in Mali’s junta-established transitional government. His legal representative, Mamadou Ismaila Konate, condemned the sentencing as “excessive and severe” in statements to AFP, highlighting the disproportionate nature of the punishment.
The case occurs against a backdrop of deteriorating relations between the two nations since Mali’s 2020 military coup. President Ouattara, maintaining close ties with former colonial power France, has been consistently critical of military takeovers throughout West Africa. Notably, Malian authorities have maintained official silence regarding Gassama’s detention and subsequent sentencing.
This diplomatic friction echoes earlier tensions when Mali sentenced 49 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years imprisonment for alleged state security violations in 2022—an incident that Ivory Coast claimed involved personnel deployed as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission against Islamist militants. Those soldiers were eventually released through Togolese mediation efforts.
Concurrently, Mali’s military leadership has pursued significant foreign policy shifts, overseeing the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces and French military units that had been combating jihadist insurgencies since 2013. In their place, Malian authorities have strengthened security cooperation with Russia, engaging Russian mercenary groups to address persistent instability throughout the Sahel region.