Mali’s military government has detained dozens of soldiers accused of plotting to overthrow the ruling junta the same regime that seized power through back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, sources told AFP on Sunday.
A senior security official confirmed that arrests began three days ago, describing them as linked to “an attempt to destabilise the institutions.” At least 20 soldiers are believed to be in custody, while a member of the junta-backed National Transition Council claimed the figure could be closer to 50.
“Soldiers came early this morning to arrest General Abass Dembele in Kati, near Bamako,” a source close to the respected officer and former governor of Mopti said. “They have not told him why he was arrested.”
Army officials have described the operation as necessary to prevent a coup, with one source stating, “We have gone ahead with the necessary arrests.”
The arrests come amid growing unease within Mali’s armed forces. According to Malian sociologist Oumar Maiga, the purge reflects deeper frustrations: “This shows the officers are struggling to control the situation. Some soldiers are unhappy with the preferential treatment given to Russian mercenaries over Malian troops.”
Since taking power, Mali’s junta has distanced itself from France and strengthened ties with Russia, bringing in Wagner Group fighters and, more recently, Africa Corps personnel to combat jihadist insurgencies. But despite these alliances, Mali continues to battle militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as widespread criminal and sectarian violence.
Both the army and its Russian allies have been accused by rights groups of committing atrocities against civilians, further fueling discontent.
In July, the military-dominated parliament passed a bill granting junta leader General Assimi Goïta a renewable five-year presidential mandate without elections.
The military government had initially promised a return to civilian rule by March 2024, but that pledge has since been abandoned.
Mali has faced political instability and security crises since 2012, when separatist uprisings and jihadist insurgencies began destabilizing the vast Sahel nation.
The latest arrests signal that, even within its own ranks, the junta is facing pressure it may struggle to contain.
