New crisis in Mali, where the second coup d’état would take place within nine months. President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested and forcibly taken by Malian soldiers to a military base, according to local media. The US embassy in Mali, on Twitter, reports an “increase in military activity” in the area. The coup comes close to the formation of a government that would not have included the Minister of Internal Security Modibo Kone and the Minister of Defense Sadio Camera, a choice that has created discontent and revealed friction in the transition executive that should lead the country towards the vote in February 2022.
The transfer to Kati’s base
A government official, on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the heads of the transitional executive, precisely Bah Ndaw and Ouane, were brought to Kati: the heart of the Malian military apparatus, where the president was already on August 18, 2020 elected Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta had been led by the coup colonels to communicate his resignation. It appears that the colonels themselves are involved in today’s action, even if their intentions are not known. Shortly before being taken by the military, Prime Minister Ouane told AFP that the men of Colonel Assimi Goita, current vice president, had transported him to the home of President Ban Ndaw.
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The blitz after the formation of the new government
In Bamako, several voices are chasing each other, but the international missions have issued cautionary messages and the atmosphere seems – relatively – calm. The military blitz took place a few hours after the announcement of a new government, marked by the ouster of officers close to the junta that had taken power with the August coup and led by Assimi Goita. In mid-April, the transitional authorities announced the organization on October 31 of a referendum on a long-promised constitutional reform and presidential and legislative elections set for February-March 2022. Persistent jihadist violence and social discontent risk compromising the path.