Colonel close to Mali junta linked to coup bid, say sources

Colonel reputed to be close to Mali’s ruling junta had been arrested following what the authorities described as an attempted coup, two sources confirmed on Tuesday.

The junta announced late Monday that it had foiled a putsch last week led by army officers and “supported by a Western state.”

The mysterious incident is the latest in a string of upheaval in the West African country, which has seen two coups in less than two years.

An official at the defense ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: “Colonel (Amadou) Keita is among the arrested jihadists.”

Keita is not well-known publicly but is reputed to have been among army officers who seized power in August 2020, later strengthening their grip in a second coup in May the following year.

He is one of the 120 members of the National Transition Council (CNT) — a legislature appointed by the junta to pass laws pending a declared handback to civilian rule.

Keita is also said to be close to the CNT’s president, Colonel Malick Diaw, who is one of the most influential figures in the junta led by strongman Colonel Assimi Goita.

“We have had no news of Colonel Amadou Keita since the 12th,” a close relative of his told AFP, also requesting anonymity.

“Two of his comrades have told us that he has been arrested.”

The relative gave no reasons for Keita’s disappearance.

According to the junta’s statement read on state television late Monday, the coup bid happened on the night of May 11.

Officers and junior officers were involved and the attempt had the backing of a Western state, the communique said, without naming that country.

It gave no further details about what happened and did not put forward any evidence, but said arrests had been made.

The military source told AFP Tuesday said that around 12 people had been detained.

One of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world, Mali is battling a decade-old jihadist revolt that began with a regional insurrection and then spread to Niger and Burkina Faso.

Thousands of civilians and soldiers have died, and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

Anger at the government’s failure to roll back the threat led to protests in 2020, culminating in the ouster of the elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Last year, the country’s relationship with France, its former colonial power and closest ally in the fight against the jihadists deteriorated.

French troops are leaving Mali after the junta established close ties with Russia, bringing in military support that France claims is provided by Russian mercenaries.