Malian army detains leaders, triggering coup fears
National
May 26, 2021
BAMAKO: Malian officers upset with a government reshuffle have detained the president and prime minister at an army camp outside the capital, triggering broad international condemnation and demands for their immediate release.President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane lead an interim government that was installed under the threat of regional sanctions following a putsch in August, and the detentions on Monday raised fears of a second coup. Two senior officials, who declined to be named, told AFP that soldiers had taken Ndaw and Ouane to the Kati military camp on the outskirts of the capital Bamako. Their detentions followed a sensitive government reshuffle earlier on Monday that was designed to respond to growing criticism of the interim government. The military kept the strategic portfolios it controlled during the previous administration in the reshuffle. But two coup leaders ex-defence minister
Mediators to meet detained Malian president and PM
AFP, BAMAKO
West African mediators were to be allowed to meet with Mali’s detained president and prime minister yesterday, a source close to the discussions said, two days after the transitional leaders were stripped of their powers by the country’s military.
The detention on Monday of Malian President Bah Ndaw and Malian Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup in August last year, triggered widespread international condemnation and the threat of sanctions.
The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting later yesterday at the request of France and others, with French President Emmanuel Macron likening the recent events to a second coup.
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Mali s junta leader on Tuesday removed leaders chosen to steer the country back to civilian rule, as former colonial power France warned it could lead a charge to impose sanctions on the regime.
Col Assimi Goita, who led Mali s coup less than 10 months ago, said transitional president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane had been stripped of their powers.
Col Goita also promised elections in 2022.
The detention of the pair, which was likened by French President Emmanuel Macron to a second coup, was the latest crisis to hit a state burdened with poverty and a brutal insurgency.
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Mali: Assimo Goïta a pris le contrôle du pays après avoir démis le président et le PM lactualite.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lactualite.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.