The national flag of The Republic of Mali  (Wikipedia Commons)

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The United Nations, EU, U.S. and the African Union have strongly denounced the “kidnapping” of Mali’s civilian leadership. Military officers detained the west African nation’s president and prime minister on Monday, plunging the country back into chaos.  They accused the Mali military of attempting a second coup as President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane head an interim government installed after a putsch in August. The UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has demanded an immediate release of President Bah Ndaw and PM Ouane.

“The local transition monitoring committee, made up of ECOWAS, the African Union and MINUSMA, with members of the international community, including France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union, express its deep concern at the situation in Mali marked by the arrest of the President of the transition, the Prime Minister and some other authorities. They strongly condemn the attempted coup that occurred following the publication of the decree appointing members of the government by the President of the transition on the proposal of the Prime Minister.”

-The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma) said on Twitter

Ndaw, a former soldier, and Ouane were sworn in September last year after Mali’s generals – faced with the threat of regional sanctions – agreed to hand over power to a transitional government in the wake of an August coup that removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.