25th May, 2021
The Malian Military personnel have arrested Interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane fuelling speculation of a second coup in the country.
Ndaw and Ouane are leading the 18-month transition government that will culminate in an election to elect a new president for Mali.
The duo were were driven by soldiers to a military camp near the capital, Bamako, BBC reports.
The reported detentions came just hours after a government reshuffle, which saw two senior army officers who took part in last year’s coup replaced.
Those replaced were ex-defence minister Sadio Camara and ex-security minister Colonel Modibo Kone.
According to France 24, 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.
Nine months ago, President Ibrahim Boubakar was toppled in a coup in Mali, but ECOWAS and other world bodies intervened leading to a transitional government.
Briefly reached by phone before the line cut, Prime Minister Ouane told AFP that soldiers “came to get him”.
A joint statement signed by the UN, AU, ECOWAS, the EU, the US and the UK on Monday condemned the arrest of the politicians and called for their “immediate and unconditional liberty”.
The UN mission in Mali demanded an immediate release of President Bah Ndaw and PM Moctar Ouane, following their detainment.