Mali’s President, Bah Ndaw , Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Defence Minister Souleymane Doucoure have been detained by the Military for fears of a second second coup being carried out in just a year in Mali.
According to reports, they were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako, hours after two members of the military and first coup leaders lost their positions in a government reshuffle.
The two coup leaders, Ex-Defence Minister Sadio Camara and Ex-Security Minister Colonel Modibo Kone were replaced on Monday May 24.
Their detentions followed the military ouster in August of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The development could trigger instability in the West African country where violent Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State control large areas of the desert north.
The UN, ECOWAS, AU and other international bodies in a joint statement called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Mali’s civilian leadership and said “the international community rejects in advance any act of coercion, including forced resignations”.
