Mali's interim president, PM released from military detention

Mali's interim president and premier have reportedly been released three days after they were detained and then stripped of their powers in what appeared to be the country's second coup in nine months.

Former Defense Minister and retired Col. Maj. Bah N'Daw, (right), and Col. Assimi Goita, (left), were sworn into the office of transitional president and vice president respectively, at a ceremony in the capital Bamako, Mali, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020. AP

Speaking on condition of anonymity on Thursday, a military official confirmed: "The interim president and prime minister were released overnight around 1:30 am (UT). We were true to our word."

Their release in the early hours met a key demand from the international community to put an end to their detainment, but has fallen far short of other calls for an immediate return to a civilian government.

Family members have also confirmed that President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane had been freed and have returned to their homes in Mali's capital Bamako.

The circumstances surrounding their release, however, remain unclear.

Government reshuffle sparked 2nd coup

The transitional leaders had been tasked with steering a return to civilian rule after a coup last August that toppled Mali's elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Keita was forced out by young army officers following mass protests over perceived corruption and his failure to quell the jihadist insurgency in country.

In a move that sparked widespread diplomatic anger, Ndaw and Ouane were detained on Monday by army officers, lead by Assimi Goita, who were apparently disgruntled by a government reshuffle.

The two were being held at a military camp around 15 kilometres from Bamako.

• Political crisis deepens in Mali as transitional leaders resign
• France calls for urgent Security Council meeting, as it mulls sanctions against Mali

Military influence on transitional administration

The interim government - installed under the threat of regional sanctions - has the declared aim of restoring full civilian rule within 18 months.

But its appointments were heavily influenced by the military.

Colonel Goita, who headed the post-coup junta, was named vice president and other key posts were given to army officers.

On Tuesday, Goita said Ndaw and Ouane had been stripped of their powers. 

By Wednesday, the pair resigned in the presence of mediators visiting the base at Kati as diplomatic pressure began to mount.

This followed a UN Security Council emergency meeting, at the request of former colonial power France, to demand "the safe, immediate and unconditional release" of the duo and urged a restoration of the civilian-led transition.

Goita reportedly told mediators that he intended to head the transitional government himself and name a prime minister.

The Security Council, however, did not discuss imposing sanctions and refrained from calling the detentions a coup. 

Macron denounces "coup within a coup"

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, who has committed more than 5,000 troops to fighting jihadism in the Sahel, called this week's arrests a "coup d'etat in an unacceptable coup d'etat".

France, the United States and the regional bloc ECOWAS have also warned of sanctions, and US aid to the Malian armed forces has been suspended.

Thousands of people have died, and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, since a jihadist revolt began in northern Mali in 2012, later spread to the centre of the country and then into neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.