The officer who spearheaded last year's coup and became vice-president of a temporary government has deposed Mali's president and prime minister. President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, according to Col Assimi Goita, "failed in their roles and were attempting to disrupt the country's transition".
They were apprehended just hours after two top army officers were dismissed in a cabinet reshuffle.
Elections will take place as scheduled next year (2022), according to Col Goita. However, he disregarded calls from the UN Secretary-General, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union, and the United States for the president and prime minister to be released unconditionally. Since their arrest on Monday evening, the two men have been imprisoned at a military barracks outside of Bamako, Mali's capital.
What led to the latest coup?
Col Goita contested that he was not consulted about the cabinet reshuffle, claiming that he should have been named vice president instead. The junta chief had sought to lead the interim government, which is overseeing an 18-month transition to civilian governance, following last year's coup. The regional organization ECOWAS, which handled the transition agreement, pushed for a civilian leader.
Col Goita, on the other hand, is unquestionably the actual power broker in the volatile West African country. Last year, when he deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keta, he was widely praised. It came after weeks of anti-government demonstrations in response to increased insecurity, alleged corruption, and a deteriorating economy.
However, tensions have arisen as a result of the glacial pace of development during the last nine months. The biggest union's strike is now in its second week, threatening to paralyze the economy. In the face of these issues and the danger of additional protests, the interim government agreed to appoint a new, more inclusive cabinet. Col Goita isn't the only one who's angry about the reshuffle; M5 RFP, the opposition group that organized the protests last year, was also enraged that it wasn't given any ministerial seats.
