This article by By Paul Melly is published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Here is an excerpt:

For the second time in nine months, Col Assimi Goïta has seized power in Mali, detaining transitional President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane after accusing them of failing in their duties and trying to sabotage the West African state’s transition to democracy.

He also led the coup which deposed the elected head of state, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, on 18 August last year.

But the 2020 coup was widely welcomed by the public and opposition politicians who had become exasperated with Mr Keïta’s feeble leadership and tolerance of corruption.

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