Crisis in Mali have escalated sharply after the ruling military junta arrested dozens of soldiers accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Sources told AFP that the arrests, which began late last week, have so far swept up between 20 and 50 military personnel, marking one of the most significant internal purges since the junta seized power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.
Among those detained is General Abass Dembele, a respected military commander and former governor of the central Mopti region. Witnesses say heavily armed soldiers stormed his residence in Kati, near the capital Bamako, on Sunday morning. No official explanation was given for his arrest, but security officials claim those detained were part of a coordinated plan to destabilize Mali’s governing institutions.
“This was an attempt to overthrow the junta,” a member of the National Transition Council told reporters, adding that all the arrested individuals are soldiers.
The arrests come at a time when Mali is facing deepening security and political crises. Since 2012, the West African nation has been ravaged by jihadist violence linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as rampant criminal activity and deadly sectarian clashes. The junta, led by General Assimi Goita, has sought to distance Mali from its former colonial ruler France, forging instead closer military ties with Russia. Mercenaries from the Wagner Group, now operating under the banner of Africa Corps, have been deployed alongside Malian troops in the fight against insurgents.
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However, cracks are showing within the ranks. Malian sociologist Oumar Maiga said the latest sweep reflects growing discontent among officers, some of whom resent the preferential treatment allegedly given to Russian fighters over local soldiers. “This purge is a sign the leadership is struggling to control its own army,” Maiga noted.
The arrests also follow a controversial move in July, when the junta-backed parliament passed a bill granting Goita a five-year presidential mandate with unlimited renewals, effectively scrapping the promised transition to civilian rule, originally slated for March 2024.
As Mali’s political future grows more uncertain, the alleged coup plot and subsequent crackdown have heightened fears of further instability in a country already on edge.
