The military-led government of Mali has detained dozens of soldiers in what it claims was a plot to overthrow the administration.
According to a member of the ruling National Transition Council (NTC), 50 military personnel were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to topple the government. Among those detained was General Abass Dembele, a prominent commander and former governor of the central Mopti region.
The arrests took place early Sunday, further underscoring Mali’s worsening political and security climate.
The current government came to power through successive coups in 2020 and 2021, led by General Assimi Goïta, who was recently granted a five-year presidential term by the NTC. Goïta has pursued policies aimed at reclaiming Mali’s sovereignty over its natural resources while deepening military ties with Russia as the country continues a protracted fight against Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents, active since 2012.
This is not the first alleged coup attempt against Bamako’s leadership. In May 2022, authorities claimed to have foiled a plot backed by an unnamed Western nation. That attempt allegedly involved multiple military officers, including Colonel Amadou Keita.
Over the past year, Mali has increasingly become a theater for international rivalry. Ukrainian intelligence services have reportedly supported and trained fighters from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Al-Qaeda’s branch in the Sahel, as part of a wider proxy conflict involving Ukraine, its Western allies, and Russia.
Earlier this year, Russia alleged that mobile phones recovered from dead militants contained contacts linked to Ukrainian intelligence, and drones used in attacks on Malian and Russian forces bore Ukrainian insignia.
Last July, following a deadly ambush on Wagner and Malian troops that left dozens dead, Ukrainian officials claimed they had assisted the militants. The incident prompted Mali, along with allies Burkina Faso and Niger, to sever diplomatic ties with Ukraine.