Rebel soldiers in Mali have pounced on their President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his fellow top government officials for graft related offenses.
The Tuesday August 18th evening arrests were purely orchestrated by revolting soldiers in the Capital Bamako in a move that almost looked similar to what happened in Zimbabwe when former President Robert Mugabe was also brought down by his own soldiers who were fed up with his long leadership style.
In Mali Tuesday incident, it first started early in the morning when the soldiers on rampage at Kati Military Unit rounded up senior State officials, civilian officials and a section of military officers.
The Star reported that Prime Minister Boubou Cisse had earlier pleaded for negotiations with the rioters in vein when later the President and his Prime Minister were announced detained. African Union AU confirmed this to the public.
Major radio Stations were reported to have went off air led by Mali’s State broadcaster; which later resurfaced with prerecorded programmes to keep the nation entertained.
A military Spokesperson Nouhoum Togo explained how they were still in total darkness as they could not certainly tell who was behind the coupe and who was intending to take over the country. “It was not a military coup but a popular insurrection,” he said.
Some sections from the ground however pointed at the M5-RFP coalitions which had expressed its desire to support any changes pushed by mutineers’ actions.
And when news about apprehension on President Keita leaked out, thousands of civilians went on the streets to celebrate chanting how the lion had finally been brought under control.
According to how a section of the media reported, the president with his administration are accused of presiding over grant corruption and insecurity especially in the North and Center of West Africa where Jihadist were actively terrorising.
Back in 2012 at the same venue (Kati Base) there was witnessed a military coupe that toppled then President Amadou Toumani Toure. It was followed by a speedy handing over of Mali’s North to Jihadist militants before French government ran in to rescue the situation.
They(militants) have since regrouped back and actively taking over the North again.
