Malian soldiers upset with a government reshuffle took the president, prime minister, defence minister to an army camp outside the capital on Monday, officials said, raising fears of a second coup within a year in the crisis-stricken country.
The current development deepens political chaos just months after a military coup ousted the previous president, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August.
President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane lead an interim government that was installed after a coup in August under the threat of regional sanctions.
Coup leaders and army officers wielded significant influence over the government, however, casting doubt on a pledge to hold elections by early next year.
President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and defence minister Souleymane Doucoure were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako.
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Their detention followed a sensitive government reshuffle on Monday afternoon, which was designed to respond to growing criticism of the interim government.
Military kept the strategic portfolios it controlled during the previous administration in the reshuffle.
However, during the reshuffle, two coup leaders — ex-defence minister Sadio Camara and ex-security minister Colonel Modibo Kone — were replaced.
The reshuffle also came at a time of growing political challenges in the capital Bamako, and pressure to stick to the deadline for promised reforms.
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The development could exacerbate instability in the West African country where violent Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State control large areas of the desert north.
Political instability and military infighting have complicated efforts by Western powers and neighbouring countries to prop up to the impoverished nation, contributing to regional insecurity.
Briefly reached by phone before the line cut, Prime Minister Ouane told AFP that soldiers “came to get him”.
The United Nations’ mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, called for calm in a tweet, and urged the immediate release of Ndaw and Ouane.
“Those who hold them will have to answer for their actions,” the UN said.
‘Send a message’
Young military officers ousted Keita on August 18 after weeks of protests concerning perceived government corruption and his handling of Mali’s jihadist insurgency.
After the 15-nation West Africa bloc ECOWAS threatened sanctions, the military junta handed power to a caretaker government that pledged to reform the constitution and stage elections within 18 months.
Coup leader Assimi Goita was appointed as vice president of the caretaker administration, and the interim president, Bah Ndaw, is a retired army officer.
Many have doubted whether the military-dominated government has the will, or the ability, to stage reforms on a short timescale.
Among other problems, the vast nation faces a major logistical and security challenge, as swathes of territory are in the hands of jihadists.
Doubts remained despite the interim government last month pledging to hold a constitutional referendum on October 31, with elections to follow in February next year.
On May 14, amid growing anger, the government then said it would appoint a new “broad-based” cabinet.
An official at Mali’s interim presidency, who requested anonymity, said the reshuffle was designed to send a message that “respect for the transition deadline remains the priority”.
He also underscored the necessity of replacing the defence and security ministers.
“They are not emblematic figures of the junta,” the official said, referring to the newly appointed ministers.
Meanwhile, United Nations’ mission in Mali called for the group’s “immediate and unconditional” release and said those who hold the leaders would have to answer for their actions.
A delegation from the top regional decision-making body ECOWAS will visit Bamako on Tuesday to help resolve the “attempted coup“, ECOWAS, the U.N., African Union, European Union and several European countries said in a joint statement.
“The international community rejects in advance any act imposed by coercion, including forced resignations,” the group said.
U.S. State Department called in a statement for the “unconditional release of those currently being held“.
Ndaw and Ouane had been tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule after the August takeover, but they appear to have moved against the military’s control over a number of key positions.
The military’s ultimate goal was not immediately clear. One military official in Kati said this was not an arrest. “What they have done is not good,” the source said, referring to the cabinet reshuffle. “We are letting them know, decisions will be made.”
Via AFP.
