The ruling military junta in Mali said Monday night it had thwarted an unnamed coup attempt by Western-backed officials.
The announcement of the military regime, which was read during a state television news bulletin, did not explain exactly what happened. He spoke of arrests, without elaborating. He also said that the controls at the exits of the capital Bamako and at the border were strengthened.
Prior to the announcement last night, there was absolutely no information about a coup attempt last week.
Mali, plunged into a deep crisis by the outbreak of separatist and jihadist uprisings in its northern part in 2012, experienced two military coups by the same group of colonels, in August 2020 and May 2021. The military regime ended its cooperation with France and its allies and turned to Russia to deal with the spread of jihadist activity, which has reached the central part of the country and has spread to neighboring countries, Niger and Burkina Faso.
The military, led by Colonel Asimi Goita, has renounced its initial commitment to handing over power to civilians following elections promised in February 2022.
“In order to thwart the dynamics of the re-establishment of Mali, a small group of anti-progress officers and non-commissioned officers attempted a military coup on the night of May 11-12, 2022,” the transitional government said in a statement.
“These troops were backed by a Western state,” the text said. “The attempt was prevented thanks to the vigilance and professionalism of the security and defense forces.”
The detainees will be brought to justice, always according to the announcement, which does not give any information about their identities, or where they are being held.
An army officer, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said there were about ten arrests and more were being made.
According to the announcement of the military junta, “all the necessary means” were mobilized in the context of the investigation that is being carried out to find and detain the accomplices of the group.
The regime assured that “the situation is under control” and urged citizens to remain “calm”.
Colonel Goita – self-proclaimed interim president in June 2021 – was attacked in July when a man tried to stab him. The colonel suffered nothing. The perpetrator of the attack died a few days later. The military regime spoke of deteriorating health during the investigation, without further elaboration. No information has been released on the progress of this investigation.
The military junta, which has been sanctioned by the Economic Community of West African States, speaks patriotically and claims to be defending Mali’s national sovereignty. Her opponents can not be heard
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