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Detained soldiers released

    ABIDJAN

    Six military men, including the aide-de-camp of Cote d'Ivoire's former junta leader General Robert Guei, were released on Monday after a two-week detention for threatening state security. The aide, Fabien Coulibaly, and five others had been detained at the military prison in Abidjan since 13 October.

    Coulibaly was arrested for making enquiries about equipment and ammunitions contained at the national armoury and the naval base and for asking colleagues "to cooperate with him on a few things", Defence Minister Moise Lida Kouassi said last week. Fabien had come from Guessesso, Guei's native village 600 km west of the capital Abidjan, to make security arrangements for Guei's attendance at the national reconciliation forum.

    The men's arrest had cast a doubt over Guei's attendance at the forum, a two-month long initiative aimed at finding solutions to the country's socio-political problems. Guei had demanded their release as a condition for attending the Abidjan talks. Despite the release, it is still unclear when Guei will be in the capital.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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