Authorities in Mali have arrested two army generals and 40 soldiers over alleged coup attempt.
The arrests were made early on Sunday morning, August 10, 2025, with the suspects charged for allegedly attempting to ”destabilise the institutions.”
An ex-Governor of Mali’s Mopti Region, General Abass Dembele, was one of those arrested. He is a popular figure in the Malian army ranks.
Local media reports say Malian soldiers arrested Debele early Sunday morning on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako, without explaining the reasons for his arrest.
Nema Sagara, a brigadier General in the air force, was also arrested. She is one of the few high-ranking women in the Malian army.
“All are soldiers. Their objective was to overthrow the junta,” the MP said.
The rise of Mali’s military junta
After eight years of relative political stability in Mali, a group of Malian soldiers stormed Bamako in August 2020 and detained then-President, Aboubakar Keita.
The coup d’etat followed weeks of protests against Keita, who was accused of failing to combat violent Islamist groups who were waging an armed rebellion in the North. The new military junta promised to deal with the problem swiftly.
Internal divisions within the new government led to a second coup in May 2021, resulting in the accession of Colonel Assimi Goïta to the presidency of Mali. A role he has occupied ever since.
Jihadist attacks and political repression fuel discontent
Following the 2020 coup, the Malian junta with Goïta at the helm promised to hold elections within 18 months. No vote has been held so far, with the government recently postponing the ballot to 2027.
Meanwhile, jihadist attacks have been on the rise. According to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), in the first half of 2024, Islamist groups killed a record 7,620 people in the Sahel in the first half of 2024.
Recently, the armed group, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, killed more than 30 soldiers at a military base in Boulkessi in central Mali on June 1st.
In the face of the attacks, the junta has intensified crackdowns on political dissidents. In May, President Goïta dissolved all political parties and organisations in Mali, which sparked widespread protests.
Source:Africa Publicity