Malian junta detain president, defense minister

MALI – Military officers in Mali arrested the president, prime minister and defence minister of the country’s interim government after a cabinet reshuffle on Monday, multiple diplomatic and government sources told Reuters.

President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and defence minister Souleymane Doucoure were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako, the sources said.

The arrests bring further uncertainty to the West African country after a military coup in August overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Ndaw and Ouane had been tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule after the takeover, but many inside government and the opposition worried about the military’s hold over key positions.

The arrests occurred after the announcement of a change in government in which two members of a military junta that seized power in August were replaced.