BAMAKO – Mali’s junta has carried out arrests to quash an alleged plot to overthrow the government within the army’s ranks, sources told AFP, but the circumstances of the detentions remain unexplained. 

The west African nation’s junta, which itself came to power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, has made 55 arrests, mainly among the National Guard, the military branch from which Defence Minister General Sadio Camara hails. 

The military-backed government has yet to officially comment on the crackdown, which comes as the army is locked in fighting with jihadists and separatists. The arrests, which began last week and continued into early Monday, were carried out by the junta following what a security and military source told AFP were “destabilisation” attempts. 

While Defence Minister Camara, a key figure within the ruling junta, has not been questioned, observers say several of those apprehended are believed to be officers close to him. According to a Malian security source, civilians could also be questioned soon. 

Two generals were among those detained, including Abass Dembele, a former governor of the central Mopti region and a respected military officer. General Nema Sagara, a rare woman to serve as brigadier general in the Malian Air Force, who also hailed from the centre of the country, was the other. 

Goita’s rule has marked a turning point in Mali’s relationship with the West. The country has broken ties with France and other former allies, pivoting towards Russia instead. Mali and its junta-led neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger have teamed up to create their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and have announced the creation of a 5,000-strong force for joint military operations. 

Meanwhile the Malian army and its Russian mercenary allies, which are tasked in particular with tracking down jihadists, are regularly accused of rights violations against civilians. 

– Nampa/AFP