Security Minister General Daoud Aly Mohammedine confirmed the arrests of a group of military officers and civilians through a statement broadcast on state television late Thursday evening.
The statement also confirmed the detention of dozens of soldiers over recent days.
Rumors of these arrests had circulated in Mali for several days.
According to General Mohammedine, the group had foreign support and allegedly aimed to destabilize Mali.
He accused the French national of acting on behalf of the French intelligence service, which supposedly mobilized political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel in Mali.
Mali’s junta, which seized power through consecutive coups in 2020 and 2021, provided few additional details regarding the alleged coup and the implicated French national.
France, Mali’s former colonial power, has not yet commented on the arrest, as per various news agencies.
Among the arrested is General Abass Dembele, who is esteemed among Malian soldiers. He was dismissed in May after advocating for an investigation into allegations that the Malian army executed at least 20 civilians during an operation in the village of Diafarabe.
Mali’s military dwindling dissent
This unfolds amidst a continuous repression of dissent by Mali’s military following a pro-democracy rally in May, the first since soldiers took over nearly four years ago.
Rida Lyammouri, an analyst at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, told the Associated Press that Mali’s military is cognizant of the discontent amongst populations and members of the military.
“The military leaders are simply not willing to let those grievances build into something more, like a coup, and therefore these arrests seem more of a way to intimidate than a legitimate coup attempt,” Lyammouri said.
“It’s a continuation of the repeated unjustified arrests and prosecution of anyone speaking against the current regime,” he added.
Mali military chief granted extendable mandate until 2030
In July, military leader General Assimi Goita was given a five-year presidential term, which can be extended indefinitely.
This move came despite the junta’s previous commitment to restore civilian rule by March 2024.
This followed the military’s dissolution of political parties in May.
Goita also withdrew Mali from the regional grouping ECOWAS due to its demands that Mali reinstate democratic rule.
Separate arrest of former Prime Minister Maiga
In a separate incident, Mali’s civilian former prime minister Choguel Maiga and several former colleagues were detained on Tuesday.
The detentions are part of an investigation into claims of “misappropriation of public funds”.
Maiga, appointed prime minister in 2021, was dismissed in late 2024 after criticizing the military government, something he continued to do after his dismissal.
And in early August, another former prime minister, Moussa Mara, was arrested on charges of undermining the credibility of the state.
Mara had previously expressed his “unwavering solidarity” with the prisoners of conscience jailed by the military junta on social media.
Mali’s junta, led by Goita, has distanced itself from Western partners, notably France, aligning politically and militarily with Russia in pursuit of national sovereignty.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
