Coup: Military arrests Mali president, fear grips residents

It was reported on Tuesday that Mali president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was detained by the military in Bamako, capital of Mali.

According to sources familiar with the matter, several gunshots were heard from the Kati army base, only 15 kilometers away from the capital. The mutinous soldiers also rounded up a number of senior military and civilian officials, alongside the president. This comes following the recent political crisis in Mali. The Mali Prime Minister, Boubou Cisse issued a brief statement, ordering the soldiers to stand down.

President Ibrahim Boubacar was forced to resign at gunpoint by mutinous soldiers who detained him. He issued a brief press statement on the state television announcing his resignation.

“If today, certain elements of our armed forces want this to end through their intervention, do I really have a choice?” the president said.

Over the years Mali has battled with Jihadist insurgency and mass protests over economic and societal issues. The global pandemic has also left many of the Nation’s citizens in dire poverty. Having a coup at this time has driven many Malians into fear as they all anticipate the impact of the coup.

The brain behind the revolt is yet to be revealed, but, the M5 –RFP coalition behind the protests has shown their support for the revolt. Spokesman Nouhoum Togo told Reuters that it wasn’t “a military coup but a popular insurrection.”

While some Malians cower in fear of the impact of the revolt, anti-government protesters in their hundreds gathered at the central square in Bamako to celebrate and cheer all those involved in the mutiny. The mutineers drove around the square, firing gunshots of celebration.

Since June 2020, Keita and his administration faced massed protests calling for the president’s resignation over alleged cases like corruption and national insecurity.

A similar military coup happened in 2012, still arising from the Kati army base. The then-president, Amadou Toumani Toure was forcefully kicked out of office, a move which hastened the fall of the jihadists terrorists.

Members States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United States, and France have all condemned the Mali mutiny.

“The mutiny comes at a time when, for several months now, ECOWAS has been taking initiatives and conducting mediation efforts with all the Malian parties,” the organization said in a statement.