Military promises to hold elections as Mali coup is condemned

The Malian soldiers who forced President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign in a coup have promised to organise new elections after their takeover was swiftly condemned by the international community.

In a statement carried overnight on state broadcaster ORTM, the mutinous soldiers who staged Tuesday’s coup identified themselves as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People led by Colonel Major Ismael Wague.

“With you, standing as one, we can restore this country to its former greatness,” Col Wague said, announcing that borders were closed and that a curfew was going into effect from 9pm to 5am.

“We, the patriotic forces grouped together within the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, have decided to take our responsibilities before the people and before history,” he said, vowing to maintain the stability of the state and public services.

Col Wague said the committee would implement a transition to civil political rule with elections held in a “reasonable amount of time”.

He said all international agreements would still be respected and that international forces, including the UN mission in Mali and G5 Sahel, would remain in place “for the restoration of stability”.

There was no word on the future of the now former president.

The news of Mr Keita’s departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators in the capital Bamako, and alarm by former colonial ruler France and other allies and foreign nations.

The UN Security Council were set to hold a closed meeting yesterday to discuss events in Mali, where the UN has a 15,600-strong peacekeeping mission.

The west African regional bloc Ecowas said it was sending a high-level delegation to “ensure immediate return to constitutional order”.

Ecowas had previously sent mediators to try to negotiate a unity government but those talks fell apart when it became clear that the protesters would not accept less than Mr Keita’s resignation.

The bloc condemned the overthrow of Mr Keita, denied “any kind of legitimacy to the putschists” and demanded sanctions against those who staged the coup and their partners and collaborators.

Ecowas also said it would stop all economic, trade and financial flows and transactions between its states and Mali.

Frenchpresidentemmanuel Macron condemned the coup. He spoke by telephone with Mr Keita and the leaders of Niger, Ivory Coast and Senegal as it was unfolding.

Mr Macron pledged full support to the Ecowas mediation effort.