BAMAKO (Reuters) -Mali has arrested more than 30 soldiers and military officials accused of attempting to destabilise the government, two sources said, a sign of internal tensions as the West African nation’s leaders take steps to strengthen their hold on power.
The arrests have unfolded over multiple days and have targeted several senior officials including General Abass Dembele, former governor of the central Mopti region, said a Malian security source who put the total number of arrests at 36.
Mali’s military leaders took power after coups in 2020 and 2021, vowing to restore security in a country where militant groups control large areas of the north and centre and stage frequent attacks on the army and civilians.
In April, a national conference recommended naming General Assimi Goita, who became interim leader in 2021, as president with a five-year mandate, as well as dissolving all political parties.
The move spurred rare protests in the capital Bamako in early May, and the junta responded by suspending political activities across the country.
A second source in the government said 40 people had been arrested over recent days.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security operations. They said they could not provide details on the specific allegations against the arrested officials.
Neither the government nor the military has commented on the arrests, and spokespersons for both did not respond to requests for comment.
Last month, authorities formally approved Goita’s five-year term and said it could be renewed as many times as necessary.
Security woes have persisted under Goita, and the past few months have seen a surge of deadly attacks by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked group that also operates in Burkina Faso and Niger.
Analysts say the group’s battlefield tactics have grown increasingly sophisticated and that it has amassed substantial resources through raids on military posts, cattle rustling, hijacking of goods, kidnappings and taxes on local communities.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have cut ties with Western nations since military takeovers, turning instead to Russia for support.
(Reporting by Mali newsroom; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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