Dozens of soldiers arrested over alleged coup plot

Mali has arrested dozens of soldiers suspected of plotting to overthrow the junta, which itself took power in a coup, according to RFI. ‘Since three days ago, there have been arrests linked to an attempt to destabilise the institutions. There have been at least around 20 arrests,’ a Malian security source told AFP. Among those arrested was General Abass Dembele, a former governor of the central Mopti region and a respected military officer. A member of the National Transition Council, the junta-backed Parliament, spoke of ‘around 50 arrests’. ‘All are soldiers. Their objective was to overthrow the junta,’ the lawmaker said. Since seizing the reins in Mali through back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, the west African country's junta has ramped up repression of its critics in the face of widespread jihadist unrest. Since 2012, Mali has been wracked with crises on various fronts, with militants linked to the al-Qaeda or Islamic State groups carrying out violent attacks across the Sahel nation. Criminal and sectarian violence are likewise rife, while the economy is in dire straits. After the coups, the junta turned its back on France, arguing that the country should be free of its former colonial ruler, as have its fellow military-run allies in Niger and Burkina Faso. It has forged ties with new allies, notably Russia, whose mercenaries from the paramilitary Wagner group and its successor Africa Corps have helped the military fight jihadists and other internal adversaries.

Full RFI report