Mali detains dozens over alleged coup plot

At least 55 soldiers are in custody, according to the sources, in what officials describe as an alleged coup attempt.

Mali, plagued by jihadist insurgencies and political instability, has endured multiple coups in recent years. The turmoil brought the current leader, General Assimi Goïta, to power following successive putsches in 2020 and 2021.

Alongside the arrests, the military regime has also detained French national Yann Vezilier. The Ministry of Territorial Administration accused him of working with French intelligence to mobilize military personnel, political actors, and civil society groups against the transitional government. France, Mali’s former colonial ruler, has yet to comment on either his arrest or the destabilization claims.

Defense Minister General Daoud Aly Mohammedine also named two senior Malian officers allegedly involved in the plot: General Abass Dembélé, dismissed in May after calling for an inquiry into reported army abuses in Diafarabé, and General Néma Sagara, once lauded for her fight against extremists in 2012.

In a statement, the minister described the arrests as targeting “a small number of marginal elements of the Malian armed and security forces for criminal offenses aimed at destabilizing the institutions of the Republic.”