Mali’s transitional president and prime minister resigned during mediation efforts Wednesday after being arrested in an apparent second military coup in nine months, a top junta aide and an international diplomat said.
Mali President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup last August, had been held since Monday and resigned “before the mediator”, said Baba Cisse, special advisor to junta boss Assimi Goita.
Cisse said negotiations were under way for their release and the formation of a new government in the poor Sahel country.
A member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mediation mission confirmed the president’s resignation to AFP, requesting anonymity.
The team travelled early Wednesday to the Kati military camp around 15km from the capital Bamako to visit the two detainees.
Ndaw and Ouane will be released from detention gradually due to security considerations, Cisse announced at a press conference later on Wednesday.
Ndaw and Ouane had been heading the interim government with the declared aim of restoring full civilian rule within 18 months.
Goita, who holds the rank of vice president in the transitional government, accused Ndaw and Ouane of failing to consult him on a reshuffle.
International condemnation
The UN Security Council on Wednesday “strongly condemned” the Mali military’s ouster and arrest of the country’s interim president and vice president, and called for a return to civilian government.
In a unanimous statement, the council called for “the safe, immediate and unconditional release of all the officials detained and urged the defence and security forces elements to return to their barracks without delay”.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the week’s events as a coup and warned of repercussions, including targeted sanctions.
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday, “We were very clear with the junta: The transition must include civilians. It must be peaceful, it must be inclusive and it must be limited in time. What has happened ... constitutes for us a rupture of confidence.”
The European Union has also warned that it is “ready to consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who obstruct the Malian transition.”
The United States strongly condemned the detention of the civilian leaders, with the State Department saying it would be suspending security assistance to the Malian forces.
“The United States will also consider targeted measures against political and military leaders who impede Mali’s civilian-led transition to democratic governance,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
He said the US was working closely with the local transition monitoring committee and other international actors to achieve the immediate and unconditional release of the government leaders held.
“A democratic, civilian-led government presents the best opportunity to achieve security and prosperity in Mali and the wider Sahel region,” the statement said.
On Monday, the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS, the EU and the United States issued a rare joint statement, attacking the detention and demanding the release of Ndaw and Ouane.
Young military officers ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last August after weeks of demonstrations over perceived government corruption and his handling of the jihadist insurgency.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
