By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
Mali’s military rulers said Thursday they have arrested a group of military personnel and civilians, including two Malian generals and a suspected French agent, accused of attempting to destabilize the country.
The announcement followed rumors in recent days of arrests of Malian army officers and was made by Mali’s security minister, Gen. Daoud Aly Mohammedine on the evening news on the local media. He assured the audience that a full investigation was underway and that “the situation is completely under control.”
The development comes amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent by Mali’s military following a pro-democracy rally in May, the first since soldiers seized power nearly four years ago.
The military provided few details about the alleged coup plotters, what it entailed and the French national implicated in it, beyond identifying the man as Yann Vezilier. The security minister said the Frenchman acted “on behalf of the French intelligence service, which mobilized political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel” in Mali.
There was no immediate word from France, Mali’s former colonial ruler, on the man’s arrest.
“The transitional government informs the national public of the arrest of a small group of marginal elements of the Malian armed and security forces for criminal offenses aimed at destabilizing the institutions of the Republic,” Mohammedine said.
“The conspiracy has been foiled with the arrests of those involved,” he said, adding that the plot began on Aug. 1.
The national television broadcast photos of 11 people it said were members of the group that planned the coup. The minister also identified the two Malian generals he said were part of the plot.
One, Gen. Abass Dembélé, is a former governor of the central Mopti region who was abruptly dismissed in May, when he demanded an investigation into allegations that the Malian army killed civilians in the village of Diafarabé. The other, Gen. Néma Sagara, was lauded for her role in fighting militants in 2012.
Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has long battled an insurgency by armed militants, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Following two military coups, the ruling junta expelled French troops and instead turned to Russia for security assistance. But the security situation remains precarious, and attacks from extremist groups linked with al-Qaida intensified in recent months.
In June, military leader Gen. Assimi Goita, was granted an additional five years in power, despite the junta’s earlier promises of a return to civilian rule by March 2024. The move followed the military’s dissolution of political parties in May.
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