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Mali has detained numerous soldiers suspected of attempting to overthrow the junta that assumed power in a coup in the West African nation, sources informed AFP on Sunday.
Following their takeover through consecutive coups in 2020 and 2021, the junta has increased its repression of dissenters amid escalating jihadist violence. “There have been arrests related to an attempt to undermine the institutions for the past three days.
Approximately 20 arrests have been made,” a Malian security source reported to AFP. Another military source confirmed the “attempt at destabilization,” stating, “We have proceeded with the necessary arrests.”
Among those apprehended was General Abass Dembele, a respected military figure and former governor of the central Mopti region. A person close to Dembele revealed, “Soldiers came early this morning (Sunday) to arrest General Abass Dembele in Kati,” near the capital Bamako.
“They did not inform him of the reason for his arrest.” A member of the junta-supported National Transition Council indicated that “around 50 arrests” had occurred, all involving soldiers whose aim was to topple the junta. Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by multiple crises, with militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda or Islamic State executing violent attacks throughout the Sahel region.
The nation also faces rampant criminal and sectarian violence, alongside a struggling economy. Following the coups, the junta distanced itself from France, insisting on the need to be free from its former colonial ruler, similar to its military-run counterparts in Niger and Burkina Faso.
They have sought alliances with new partners, particularly Russia, whose mercenaries from the Wagner group and the successor Africa Corps have assisted the military in combating jihadists and other internal threats.
Nevertheless, like Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali continues to face challenges in managing the jihadist menace, with accusations against the regular army and its Russian allies of committing civilian atrocities.
According to Malian sociologist Oumar Maiga, this latest crackdown demonstrates the officers' struggle to maintain control, indicating “grumblings within the army’s ranks.”
Maiga further noted, “Some soldiers are dissatisfied with the preferential treatment given to Russian mercenaries over Malian soldiers.”
In July, a bill approved by the military-appointed legislative body granted Mali’s junta leader General Assimi Goita a five-year presidential mandate that can be renewed “as many times as necessary” without the need for elections.
Initially, the military government had committed to a return to civilian governance by March 2024.
