Mali: six personalities jailed for attempted coup

Malian police in downtown Bamako.

(illustrative image).

AFP PHOTO / ISSOUF SANOGO

Text by: David Baché

2 min

Six Malian personalities were placed under arrest warrant this week.

The information was confirmed Friday, November 5 by the Malian justice.

All are accused in particular of attempted coup d'état and conspiracy against the government.

Among them, a former secretary general of the presidency and a former head of State Security, the Malian intelligence services, who had been missing for several weeks.

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Relatives of

had not

from him for two months and his arrest, on September 6, by State Security, outside any legal procedure.

This law professor, who was secretary general of the presidency when Bah N'Daw occupied the Koulouba palace at the start of the Transition, has been detained since last Wednesday at camp 1 of the gendarmerie in Bamako. 

This is also the case with Colonel-Major Kassoum Goïta, who at the same time headed the Malian intelligence services, and who had been arrested by State Security a month ago, on October 4, as well as four other people, including a police superintendent and a marabout. 

Conspiracy against the government 

According to the prosecutor of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of commune 6 of Bamako, who confirmed this information on Friday, a judicial investigation was opened against them for "criminal association", "attempted coup" and "conspiracy against the government ".

There is no clarification on the facts with which they are accused.

According to some sources, 25 people in total, civilians and soldiers, were heard by the investigating judge in charge of the case.

The prosecutor specifies that they were not placed under warrant of committal.  

Precedents 

After being overthrown during the second coup d'état last May, ex-President Bah N'Daw and ex-Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were

for four months, then released under international pressure, without the reason for this treatment having ever been specified by the authorities. 

Last December, seven other people, including former Prime Minister Boubou Cissé and columnist Ras Bath, had already been accused of conspiracy, before being cleared by the Supreme Court four months later.

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