New election coming soon, Mali coup leaders say
U.S. slams move to overthrow president
DAKAR, SENEGAL • The soldiers who overthrew Mali’s president in a stunning coup revealed themselves Wednesday on state television, pledging to hold a general election after a “reasonable time” and tame the security crisis gripping the West African nation.
“We can restore this country to its former greatness,” said one of the mutiny’s leaders, Col. Maj. Ismael Wagué, who vowed to build a civilian-led transition team and “strong institutions capable of better managing our everyday lives.”
Then the new army rulers closed Mali to the outside world, sealing air and land borders only weeks after the former government had lifted travel restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic.
It was a dramatic cap to a streak of chaos in the country of roughly 20 million, after mutinous soldiers swarmed the capital Tuesday and, by the evening, arrested President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.
The coup masterminds promised to work with international partners, who have fiercely condemned the takeover.
The Economic Community of West African States released a statement urging sanctions for the mutinous soldiers, shuttering the borders with Mali and indefinitely suspending the country from its internal decision-making bodies.
In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States “strongly condemns” the coup.
“The freedom and safety of detained government officials and their families must be ensured,” Pompeo said. “The United States calls on all political and military actors to work towards a restoration of constitutional government.”
Keïta announced his exit in an overnight broadcast, agreeing to dissolve the government to avoid bloodshed.
His departure followed weeks of protests in the capital, Bamako, where demonstrators accused Keïta of corruption and taking weak action against fighters loyal to al-Qaida and ISIL.
The embattled leader inherited trouble that started in 2011, when the Libyan government collapsed and rebels killed long-ruling strongman Moammar Gadhafi. A wave of mercenaries once employed by Gadhafi then returned to their native Mali.
The mercenaries forged a shaky alliance with extremists in the country’s north, which spawned an insurgency that has grown deadlier every year since.
Cross-border fighters have killed more than 4,000 people in 2019 alone. Mali’s army has struggled to contain the menace despite backup from French troops and the U.S., which provides training and intelligence.