The junta in power in Mali since August 2020 accused, in a statement read on state television, Monday, May 16, officers of the Malian army "backed by the West" of having attempted a coup d'etat. last week.

This accusation further deteriorates relations between Bamako and its international allies, who for a decade helped the West African country fight against Islamist insurgents, before withdrawing due to political disputes.

"With the unhealthy intention of breaking the dynamics of rebuilding Mali, a small group of Malian anti-progressive officers and non-commissioned officers attempted a coup on the night of May 11 to 12, 2022", indicates the press release of the transitional government installed by the military.

"These soldiers were supported by a Western state," he adds without further details.

"The attempt was foiled thanks to the vigilance and professionalism of the defense and security forces," he continues.

Those arrested will be brought to justice, he said.

The document is silent about their identity and whereabouts.

Border controls and in Bamako

Reinforced security measures, including road checkpoints at the borders and at the gates of the capital, have been put in place to identify the accomplices of this failed coup, is it written in the press release.

A military official speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject spoke of a dozen arrests made, and indicated that others were in progress.   

“All necessary means” are mobilized for the investigation and the search for accomplices, says the government press release.

The government assures "that the situation is under control and invites the populations to calm down".

Mali, plunged into deep security and political crises since the outbreak of independence and jihadist insurgencies in 2012 in the north, was the scene of two coups led by the same group of colonels in August 2020 and May 2021. The country is now ruled by a junta that has turned away from France and its partners, and has turned to Russia in an attempt to stem the spread of jihadism that has spread to the center and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. .

The military under the leadership of Colonel Assimi Goïta renounced their initial commitment to return power to civilians after elections scheduled for February 2022.

With AFP and Reuters

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