Lopes: 5 questions to understand the circumstances of the coup in Mali and the fall of the president

The French magazine LOBS identified 5 questions that clarified the circumstances of the ouster of Chief Financial Officer Ibrahim Abu Bakr Keita from power, after a military coup on Tuesday against the backdrop of a political, economic and social crisis.

The magazine said that after the arrest of him and his prime minister, Bobo Sisi, Keita was forced to announce on national television that his government had resigned and parliament was dissolved. To assess this situation, the journal asked the following five questions:

First: Since when has Mali floundered in its current crisis?

For several months, or even several years, this country is the "epicenter of the jihadist threat" in the Sahel region, and Mali actually faced a coup on March 21, 2012 at Camp Kati, which is about 15 kilometers from the capital, Macau, from which the perpetrators of the last coup launched.

This coup took place at a time when Tuareg rebels were launching an offensive in the north, and "jihadists" were pouring in from neighboring countries, and all of this coincided with the rebellion of soldiers in the north in protest at the government's inability to deal with the situation, and this coup led to the departure of former Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure.

Then the "armed Islamic groups" occupied the north of the country for 9 months, before they were partially expelled due to the international military intervention that France led in January 2013 through a process known as "Serval".

Since then, "jihadist violence" has spread in central Mali and neighboring countries, such as Burkina Faso and Niger, and the international operation extended to the Sahel region as a whole in 2014, becoming "Operation Barkhane", under which about 5,000 French soldiers are currently deployed in the region.

Second: How was the situation in Mali before this coup?

The coup came at a time when Mali is undergoing a deep political and social crisis since the legislative elections last March and April, which witnessed a succession of unprecedented events, as it all began on March 26 with the kidnapping of opposition leader Ismail Sisi in the middle of Rif, and elections were held despite the emergence of Covid-19.

And in the run-off on April 19, election officials were kidnapped, polling stations looted, and a mine exploded. Killing 9 people. The next day, the Constitutional Court annulled about 30 results, 10 of them in favor of President Ibrahim Abu Bakr Keita's party.

However, this did not help calm the situation, as demonstrations increased, initiated by a coalition of political opponents, religious leaders and members of civil society, and with them increased calls for the resignation of the President of the Republic.

Meanwhile, in mid-June, the head of state reappointed Prime Minister Bobo Sisi, and on July 10, a "civil disobedience" demonstration spiraled out of control after parliament and national television were attacked, followed by 3 days of civil unrest. The most dangerous has been in Bamako since 2012; As a result, 23 people were killed and more than 150 wounded, according to the opposition.

The Prime Minister announced the killing of 11 demonstrators, while the United Nations said that the number was 14, and the opposition and the protest movement have repeatedly rejected concessions that provide for the preservation of the president in power and the holding of partial legislative elections.

Third: Why all the controversy over President Keita?

Ibrahim Abu Bakr Keita is 75 years old, and has been in power since 2013, and has become a symbol of the state’s inability in the face of many crises, such as jihadists and sectarian violence, which weakened the country for years.

Resentment of the population has been fueled for years by insecurity in the center and north of the country, economic recession and rampant corruption, not to mention the problems associated with the issue of education and health.

Fourth: Who are the putschists? And what do they promise the inhabitants of Mali?

The soldiers who seized power present themselves as "patriotic forces involved in the so-called National Committee for the Salvation of the People." This is what was said by Colonel Ismail Waghi, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force and spokesman for the putschists, during a speech he delivered on Mali state television.

He is accompanied by 4 men in military uniform, including Colonel Malik Diaw, head of the 3rd Military Division in Katy, and Sadio Camara, an army colonel who just returned from Russia, where he was training, according to Radio France Internationale.

According to this radio, among the putschists were other senior officers in the air force, in addition to the gendarmerie and the police.

During this speech, the spokesman promised to "ensure the continuity of the state and public services," as well as to ensure a "civil political transition", leading to general elections within a reasonable time. France 24 also stated that a national committee will be established to save the people.

This officer announced on television the closure of the country's land and air borders, as well as the imposition of a curfew from 9 pm until 5 am, until further notice.

Fifth: How did the international community respond?

This coup was met with strong condemnation from African countries, the United Nations, the European Union and France, and the UN Security Council met on Wednesday urgently about this crisis, at the request of France and Niger, and the meeting strongly condemned the coup, and demanded work to restore constitutional order in Mali.

And condemned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Tuesday evening, "in the strongest terms, the coup soldiers overthrew the democratically elected government of President Keita," according to the statement.

The statement said that the Economic Community of West African States "categorically denies any form of legitimacy for the revolutionaries, and calls for an immediate restoration of the constitutional order," as well as the "immediate release" of the president and all detained officials.

And French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced - in a statement posted on Twitter - that France shares the Economic Community of West African States' position, with a strong affirmation of its "full commitment to sovereignty and democracy in Mali."