Ivorian National Intelligence Coordinator Vassiriki Traoré has paid a three-day working visit to Bamako at the invitation of Mali’s National State Security Agency (ANSE) director-general, General Modibo Koné, to discuss counterterrorism and stronger intelligence cooperation.
Traoré arrived in Bamako on Thursday, October 15, for talks with Koné, according to security sources.
The three-day visit comes amid a gradual resumption of dialogue between the two neighbours after several years of diplomatic tensions. Talks focused on regional security challenges, counterterrorism efforts and intelligence sharing.
The visit follows remarks by Ivorian Vice-Prime Minister and Defence Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara, who said several months ago that he was willing to revive security cooperation with Mali and Burkina Faso. Both countries, along with Niger, are members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) Confederation and share borders with Côte d’Ivoire.
Progress on the border issue offers another sign of rapprochement. In August, a joint technical commission meeting in Bamako reached a consensus on the definitive border line between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as a draft boundary delimitation treaty. The agreement is still awaiting signature, while further demarcation and boundary-marking operations remain pending.
Relations between Bamako and Abidjan deteriorated sharply in July 2022 following the arrest of 49 Ivorian soldiers in Mali. Malian authorities accused them of being “mercenaries”, while Abidjan maintained that they had been deployed as part of an arrangement linked to the United Nations mission.
After being convicted by a Malian court, they received a presidential pardon in January 2023, allowing the 46 soldiers still in detention to return to Abidjan.
Beyond security, relations between the two countries are economically significant. Landlocked Mali relies on Ivorian transport corridors for part of its foreign trade.
According to the Autonomous Port of Abidjan, cargo traffic with Mali rose from 835,216 tonnes in 2024 to 1.47 million tonnes in 2025, an increase of 76.4%.
Traoré’s visit therefore highlights efforts to revive engagement between Bamako and Abidjan on security and border issues, amid a regional environment shaped by the terrorist threat and the need for cooperation among neighbouring states.
MD/te/lb/as/APA