MALI, 25 May 2021, (TON):   Military officers in Mali backed by French troops dismissed President Bah N'daw , Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Defence Minister Souleymane Doucoure of the interim government on Monday, deepening political chaos in Mali. 

Mali’s former coup leader Assimi Goita took control of the country again Tuesday after firing the president and prime minister of the transitional government following their announcement of a cabinet reshuffle without his permission.

While Goita pledged to go ahead with holding new elections in 2022 as promised, his display of force casts doubt on whether the vote will go ahead without significant interference by the junta that overthrew the last democratically elected president.

The move also raised concerns that the new political unrest could further destabilize efforts to control the West African country’s long-running Islamic insurgency. The United Nations now spends some USD 1.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission in Mali.

The military’s announcement on the state broadcaster came a day after President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested by soldiers and brought to the military headquarters in Kati, outside the capital. 

Their arrests prompted an concerns by the international community, which put out a strongly worded statement warning Mali’s military leaders that their actions could undermine global support for the transitional government.