On Tuesday, Malian Colonel Assimi Goïta, who led the coup last August that deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and Prime Minister (PM) Boubou Cissé, has now dismissed and detained their replacements, President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane. Goïta leads the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), which is in charge of the transitional military council to return the country to civilian rule by March 2022.
N’Daw and Ouane’s dismissals are particularly shocking, as they were appointed by Goïta himself. However, the military leader has now said that the pair were “incapable of being reliable partners” and that they were ‘sabotaging’ the transitional government.
Goïta opposed N’Daw’s decision to remove Colonels Modibo Koné and Sadio Camara from the CNSP as part of a Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, and gave the now-former president an ultimatum to ‘reintegrate’ them. His refusal to do so was thus termed as a “violation” of the transitional charter by Goïta and was regarded as grounds for dismissal. Defence Minister Souleymane Doucore was also arrested alongside N’Daw and Ouane.
The decision of the military junta, which is being seen as another coup, was swiftly denounced by the pubic, and several citizens took to Independence Square in the capital city Bamako and called for the “end of this transition.”
Furthermore, the M5 movement, which led nationwide protests calling for the resignation of former president Keïta prior to the military coup, has called for the interim government to be replaced with a “law-abiding and more legitimate body.” However, there are also divisions within the M5, as two of its members are now ministers in the transitional government.
The ‘coup’ has also been widely condemned by international actors, including the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union (EU), the United States (US), and the United Kingdom (UK).
The US, UK, France, Germany, and ECOWAS released a joint statement describing the detentions as “reckless” and “ill-considered”, and warned that it “carries the risk of weakening the mobilisation of the international community in support of Mali.”
Similarly, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President and AU Chairman Félix Tshisekedi called for the “immediate an unconditional release” of N’Daw and Ouane and condemned “any action aimed at destabilising Mali.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted that he was “deeply concerned by news of detention of civilian leaders” and called for their “unconditional release”. Furthermore, the EU criticised the ‘kidnappings’ and warned that it is “ready to consider necessary measures”, including “targeted measures against political and military leaders who obstruct the Malian transition.”
Tuesday’s events have raised alarm that the military has too much control over the transitional government and has been described as another coup. However, in truth, the first coup never really ended and the transitional government has always evidently been fully under the control of the military junta. In fact, N’Daw’s Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, which ultimately led to his dismissal, placed army officials in charge of the most important positions: defence, security, territorial administration, and national reconciliation.
There is, however, the more legitimate concern that the military junta looks increasingly unlikely to hand over power by March 2022, despite pledging to honour the transitional council’s 18-month mandate two months ago. In March, Malian Foreign Minister Zeïni Moulaye committed to holding presidential elections in March 2022. However, the massive upheavals within the Malian government suggest that this may not happen.
Mali Coup Leader Goïta Dismisses and Detains President N’Daw and PM Ouane, Takes Control
President N’Daw and Prime Minister Ouane’s dismissals are particularly shocking as they were appointed by Goïta himself.
May 26, 2021
Malian coup leader Colonel Assimi Goïta SOURCE: BLOOMBERG