Mali coup leaders release president and prime minister

May 27, 2021 Elwin Mandowa

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Coup leaders in Mali have released the country’s interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

According to reports they were freed at around 01:00 local time on Thursday after being detained since Monday.

The two men had been held at a military camp in the capital, Bamako after soldiers express unhappiness about a governmental reshuffle.

The president and prime minister were forced to resign after being stripped of their powers by the military – the second coup in the West African nation in nine months.

The United Nations Security Council condemned their arrests after an emergency meeting.

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In a statement the UN also called for the safe, immediate and unconditional release of all the officials detained and urged the Defence and Security personnel “to return to their barracks without delay.”

The soldiers assured that the two civilian leaders would be released after the UN, Ecowas and the African Union demanded their released.

“We were true to our word,” a military official is quoted as saying by AFP news agency.