Mali coup leaders face severe international condemnation

Coup leaders in Mali have faced a wave of international pressure, a day after they forced out a president weakened by months of mass protests.

The chorus of disapproval was led by the United Nations, United States, African Union and European Union on Wednesday, all demanding that the military leaders release President Boubacar Keita, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other officials taken captive on Tuesday.

Keita, pressed by months of protests over economic stagnation, corruption and a brutal insurgency, said in a televised address that the military leaders had given him no choice but to resign.

Jubilant crowds had cheered the rebels on Tuesday as they arrived in the capital Bamako.

However, there were few obvious traces of the previous day's drama on Bamako's streets on Wednesday, troops had not been deployed en masse despite the coup leaders announcing a night-time curfew.

Army officer Colonel Assimi Goita announced himself on Wednesday as the coup leader.

READ MORE: Mali mutineers pledge elections after unseating Keita in coup

Emergency talks

UN Security Council urged mutineers in Mali to immediately release detained officials, including the country's president, and "return to their barracks without delay."

The 15 members also "underlined the urgent need to restore rule of law and to move towards the return to constitutional order," according to a Council statement.

Both France and Germany backed the mediation of West African countries, but an effort by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) last month to broker a unity government fell flat after the opposition rejected it.

The current chairman of the African Union (AU), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, called for the "immediate return to civilian rule and for the military to return to their barracks" and the EU's Charles Michel said all prisoners should be freed immediately.

"The freedom and safety of detained government officials and their families must be ensured," said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

'Take responsibility'

Malian Air Force deputy chief of staff Ismael Wague said he and his fellow officers had "decided to take responsibility in front of the people and of history."

There were no reports of casualties during the military takeover but the coup leaders announced a curfew and border closures, in effect sealing off the country.

They took Keita into custody and were holding him at the Kati military base, an ironic twist as the facility was also the site of the 2012 coup that brought him to power.

A source in a committee established by the military after the coup told AFP that Keita was still being held on Wednesday.

Anti-militant fight

Former colonizer France, which has worked to stabilize the country since leading a 2013 military operation to oust militants from power in the north, called for a return to civilian rule. The United Nations, which is spending $1.2 billion a year on its peacekeeping mission in Mali, also strongly condemned the coup.

Tuesday’s developments “represent an enormous setback” after seven years of investment by international partners to address Mali’s insecurity and political challenges, said Judd Devermont, the director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Colonel Wague said "all past agreements" would be respected, including Mali's support for anti-militant missions such as the UN force in Mali (MINUSMA), France's Barkhane force, the G5 Sahel, and European special-forces initiative Takuba.

The coup leaders also remain "committed to the Algiers process," a 2015 peace agreement between the Malian government and armed groups in the north of the country, he said.

Swathes of Mali's territory are outside of the control of central authorities and years of fighting have failed to halt an insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since emerging in 2012.

The failure fueled frustrations with Keita's rule and tensions flared in April after the government held long-delayed parliamentary elections, the results of which are still disputed.

Need for 'stability'

ECOWAS condemned the coup in a statement, pledging to close land and air borders to Mali and push for sanctions against "all the putschists and their partners and collaborators."

The 15-nation bloc, which includes Mali, also said that it would suspend the country from its internal decision-making bodies.

Further afield, Morocco on Wednesday stressed the need for "stability" in Mali, calling for "responsible dialogue, respect for constitutional order and the preservation of democratic gains."

The coup coincided with opposition plans to resume protests against Keita.

READ MORE: Leaders of five African countries meet for Mali crisis talks

The June 5 Movement, named after the date of its first protest, focused public anger against the leader and made increasingly strident demands for his resignation.

Its campaign veered into crisis last month when 11 people were killed during three days of unrest sparked by a demonstration. Neither the movement nor its informal leader, imam Mahmoud Dicko, have yet reacted to the coup.

READ MORE: A timeline of Mali’s recent political instability