According to RFI and AFP, the arrests began late last week, with officials describing the move as a preemptive step to “neutralise” an attempt to destabilise the country’s leadership.
According to a Malian security source, at least 20 soldiers have been taken into custody in the past three days in connection with the alleged coup plot. A separate army source confirmed there had been “an attempt at destabilisation” and said the necessary arrests had been carried out.
Among those detained is General Abass Dembele, a former governor of the central Mopti region and a well-regarded senior officer. “Soldiers came early Sunday morning to arrest General Dembele in Kati, near the capital Bamako,” a close associate said, adding that no official reason for his arrest was given.
A member of Mali’s National Transition Council, the junta-appointed legislative body, put the number of arrests close to 50, all of them military personnel. “Their objective was to overthrow the junta,” the lawmaker claimed.
Mali’s junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, has faced mounting internal tensions alongside a worsening security crisis. The country has been battling jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State since 2012, as well as rampant criminal and communal violence.
Following the coups, the junta cut ties with France, its former colonial ruler and aligned more closely with Russia. Fighters from the Wagner paramilitary group, now operating as the Africa Corps, have been deployed to support Mali’s army in combating insurgents and other armed groups.
The latest arrests come amid growing signs of discontent within the military ranks, with political analysts warning that the fragile stability of Mali’s transitional government remains under constant threat.
