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Mali: Mutineering soldiers seize power ahead of vote
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS said it “strongly condemns the misguided actions of the mutineers.” The group said it was “all the more reprehensible, coming amidst the ongoing regional and international efforts to seek a peaceful solution to the rebellion in the north of the country.”
The soldiers’ declaration also came just hours after the presidential palace had rushed to deny that a coup was in progress, issuing a Tweet that said: “There is no coup in Mali. There’s just a mutiny.”
The latest developments mark a major setback for one of the region’s few established democracies. The ousted president came to power himself in a 1991 coup, but was hailed for handing power to civilians. A decade later, he won the 2002 democratic election. The 63-year-old Toure was due to step down next month after two, five-year terms.
His whereabouts were unknown on Thursday. Contacted by telephone, a soldier at the palace said that the president’s bodyguards had failed to fight the renegade soldiers, who burst in. They searched the grounds looking for him, but could not find Toure.
Young soldiers on motorcycles were shooting in the air Thursday morning in the capital of Bamako. Businesses remained shuttered and there was little traffic as most stayed home following the coup announcement.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Gassama had come to a military camp in the capital for an official visit but failed to address the grievances of the rank-and-file soldiers in his speech to the troops. The rebellion has claimed the lives of numerous soldiers, and those sent to fight say they are not given sufficient supplies, including arms or food.
Recruits started firing into the air Wednesday morning and by afternoon, troops had surrounded the state television station, yanking both the television and radio signals off the air for the rest of the day. By Wednesday evening, troops had started rioting at a military garrison located in the northern town of Gao, some 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away.
