Breaking: Political Tension Again in Mali as Military Arrests President, Prime Minister
- It appears Mali is facing another political crisis months after surviving a military coup
- Both the interim president, Bah N’Daw, and its prime minister, Moctar Ouane, have been detained
- The duo were said to have been arrested by soldiers along with the country’s defence minister
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A report by Aljazeera indicates that the interim president of Mali, Bah N’Daw, and the nation's Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were detained by soldiers on Monday, May 24.
The arrest of the country's interim government officials is following a cabinet reshuffle in the sub-Saharan African country just nine months after its previous leader was toppled by a military coup.
Source: Twitter
Souleymane Doucoure, Mali's defence minister, according to Reuters, was also arrested by soldiers.
According to the report, they were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the country’s capital, Bamako, hours after two members of the military lost their positions in a government reshuffle.
Diplomatic and government sources revealed that the soldiers who lost their positions were members of the junta that had seized power in the coup.
The United Nations and the African Union confirming the deepening political chaos called for the immediate and unconditional release of the president and prime minister.
The international organisations condemned the incident saying they reject any act of coercion, including forced resignations.
Recall that back in August 2020, the former prime minister of Mali, Boubou Cisse, and president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, were arrested by some mutinying soldiers.
The leader of the soldiers informed journalists on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, that Cisse and Keita were with them in Bamako, Mali's capital.
Confirming the development, a military official who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed the president and the prime minister were put in an armoured vehicle.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Keita was forced out of the presidency as he finally tendered his resignation on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, amid political unrest in Mali, hours after his arrest.
In the early hours of Wednesday, former President Keita said he resigned from his position in order to avoid bloodshed and violence between his loyalists and the opposition.
European nations had condemned the development that saw the military take over.
The political tension in Mali, prior to the coup-like development, was a point of concern for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Source: Legit.ng
