BAMAKO — Mali’s military-led government is grappling with deepening internal divisions following a reported wave of arrests targeting at least 43 senior and junior officers, sources revealed on Monday.
Security insiders say the detained personnel have been transferred to the garrison town of Markala, in what analysts view as the most dramatic purge within the junta since it seized power.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Brig.-Gen. Famouké Camara, Chief of Staff of the National Guard and a key ally of Defence Minister Sadio Camara, may also be in custody — a move that, if verified, could signal a major split between transitional president Col. Assimi Goïta and the defence minister, two of Mali’s most powerful figures.
The alleged crackdown comes amid simmering rivalries within the military leadership, with observers warning of the potential for open confrontation between rival camps. The shake-up risks diverting attention from Mali’s fight against jihadist groups — including JNIM, ISGS, and Tuareg rebels — who continue to advance across the country.
Political analysts caution that the purge could undermine troop morale, fracture the security forces, and embolden insurgents, echoing a familiar pattern in West African juntas where unity gives way to internal distrust and eventual fragmentation.
Neither the presidency nor the Ministry of Defence has commented on the reported arrests, but the political temperature in Bamako remains on the boil.
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