BAMAKO, Mali
Mali's interim government on
Monday said "Western-backed" military officers attempted a coup last
week, without providing details or evidence.
The purported foiled putsch
took place on the night between May 11 and May 12, the junta that took power in
an August 2020 coup said in a statement.
The accusation against
Westerners marks a fresh low between Mali and its old international allies who
for a decade aided the West African nation in its fight against Islamist
insurgents but are withdrawing amid a sour political spat.
In their place, Russian
mercenaries have come in to aid Mali's military and witnesses said last month
that white mercenaries were involved in a mass execution of Malian civilians.
Increased security, including
checks at border posts and at entry points into the capital Bamako, have been
put in place as measures to identify accomplices, the statement said.
An enquiry has been opened and
"detained people" will face justice, it added.
The tensions between Mali's
junta and the West are linked to its failure to hold promised elections in
February and speedily restore civilian rule, as well as to its collaboration
with Russian mercenaries.
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