Ivory Coast troops return home after months of captivity in Mali

Soldiers’ return signals the apparent resolution of a bitter diplomatic standoff between Mali and the Ivory Coast.

Forty-six Ivorian soldiers accused by Mali of being mercenaries have returned home after six months in captivity.

The troops arrived at Ivory Coast’s Abidjan airport late on Saturday, a day after receiving a pardon from Mali’s military ruler.

Their arrest in the Malian capital of Bamako in July of last year had triggered a bitter diplomatic fight between the neighbouring…