The interim President of Mali, Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister, Moctar Ouane, have resigned.
They both resigned during mediation efforts on Wednesday after being arrested in an apparent second military coup in nine months.
This was disclosed by a top junta aide and an international diplomat.
Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria had condemned the detention of the Malian President and Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Ndaw and Ouane were reportedly arrested and taken to the Kati Military Camp near Bamako, the country’s capital, by soldiers on Monday, May 24, 2021.
The Federal Government, in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ferdinand Nwoye, had described the action as totally unacceptable, and that the detention might obstruct the peace building efforts and return of democratic governance in Mali.
However, on Wednesday, Baba Cisse, a Special Advisor to junta boss Assimi Goita, said President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup August last year, resigned “before the mediator”.
Cisse added that negotiations were under way for their release and the formation of a new government.