Malis former junta leader Col Assimi Goïta has declared himself the countrys transitional president. He made the announcement after stripping interim President Bah Ndaw and PM Moctar Ouane of their powers. The two ousted leaders were freed from military detention, where they had been held since Monday in what was seen as Malis second coup in nine months. The seizure of power came after a cabinet reshuffle which Col Goïta complained he was not consulted about. Two army officers involved in the previous coup lost their jobs in the reshuffle. The situation in Mali today is said to be tense but calm. Col Goïta said earlier that President Bah Ndaw and PM Moctar Ouane had failed in their duties and were seeking to sabotage the countrys transition. They were arrested hours after the reshuffle and resigned their positions while in detention on Wednesday. Announcing their release on Thursday, Col Goïtas aide Baba Cissé said, quoted by Reuters news agency, we have nothing against them. He added that their whereabouts would be kept secret for their own security. Col Goïta has said elections will still go ahead next year as planned. The former leaders release had been requested by the UN, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the EU and the US. They had been held at a military camp outside the capital, Bamako, since their arrest on Monday evening. The latest events coincided with a visit by a delegation from Ecowas. Last year, Ecowas threatened sanctions unless a caretaker government under civilian leadership took over from the military. Now that Col Goïta has effectively torn up that agreement by taking charge, it is not clear what the repercussions will be. But France, the former colonial power, has threatened EU sanctions against the perpetrators, with President Emmanuel Macron describing it as a coup within a coup, Reuters reports. Col Goïta has asked people to go about their business as usual and promises the military is committed to the transitional deal.
