Hopes that soldiers behind Mali’s coup would swiftly restore civilian rule and tackle jihadism and ethnic violence are fading fast as the army expands its role. Many in the large Sahel country hailed the August 18 putsch as the precursor of a “new Mali” — a nation that would emerge stronger and more stable, its institutions better placed to confront the country’s many ills. Young army officers toppled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita after weeks of protests sparked largely by his failures to roll back a jihadist insurgency and root out perceived corruption. […]
The most basic principle is that of trust, and we have already stumbled over it,” he said. The military now virtually has a stranglehold over the institutions of transition. Among the coup leaders, Colonel Assimi Goita obtained a tailor-made role as powerful vice president of the transitional government; Colonel Malick Diaw was promoted president of the CNT; and Colonel Sadio Camara and Colonel Major Ismael Wague respectively took charge of the strategic ministries of defence and of reconciliation. hirteen of Mali’s 20 regional governors are now soldiers following a spate of nominations in November. Läs artikel