More recently, in August, Asimi Goita was involved in another military coup when then-president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown. Then Guetta was appointed interim president.
On Monday, it was Goetta who ordered the arrests of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Mukhtar Awani. They resigned on Wednesday while still in detention and were released on Thursday.
Concerns about al-Qaeda and ISIS
The 15 West African countries that make up the ECOWAS Economic Community, along with France and the United States, have expressed concern about how the takeover will affect the situation in northern and central Mali. The territories constitute a central base for local supporters of al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists.
The situation in Mali was raised during this week’s summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. Together with the United Nations, the United Kingdom, the United States, the African Union and ECOWAS, the coup attempt was condemned in a joint statement. EU Council President Charles Michel said the European Union was “ready to take the necessary measures”.
Coup makers want to appoint a new prime minister
The heads of state of ECOWAS are to meet in Ghana on Sunday. The leaders want Mali to be civilian led until the February elections. During the August military coup, the organization said that Vice President Guetta “can in no way replace the president” during the transitional period until the elections.
On Friday, Asimi Guetta announced on national television that he would appoint a new prime minister from among the members of the M5-RFP coalition. It is the organization that led the protests against Keita in August.
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