Coup d'état in Mali, Soldiers over throw government this morning | Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

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Thursday 22 March 2012

Coup d'état in Mali, Soldiers over throw government this morning

Soldiers early this morning stormed the Mali state TV and announced that they have seized control of the country, dissolving all of its institutions. The soldiers, who were about 20 in number, introduced themselves as the National Committee for the Reestablishment of Democracy and the Restoration of the State, or CNRDR and said they are ceasing power from government because of the government's mishandling of an insurgency in the north. Their statement:
The CNRDR representing all the elements of the armed forces, defensive forces and security forces has decided to assume its responsibilities and end the incompetent and disavowed regime of (President) Amadou Toumani Toure. All the institutions of the republic are dissolved until further notice. ... The objective of the CNRDR does not in any way aim to confiscate power, and we solemnly swear to return power to a democratically elected president as soon as national unity and territorial integrity are established.

 

The series of events that culminated in the coup began on Wednesday morning at a military camp in the capital, during a visit by Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Gassama. In his speech to the troops, the minister failed to address the grievances of the rank-and-file soldiers, who are angry over what they say is the government's mismanagement of a rebellion in the north by Tuareg separatists. The rebellion has claimed the lives of numerous soldiers, and those sent to fight are not given sufficient supplies, including arms or food. Their widows have not received compensation.
Recruits started firing into the air Wednesday, and they stoned the general's car as it raced away. By afternoon, soldiers had surrounded the state television station in central Bamako, yanking both the television and radio signals off the air for more than 7 hours. By Wednesday evening, troops had started rioting at a military garrison located in the northern town of Gao, some 2,000 miles away.
A freelance journalist from Sweden who was driving to her hotel near the TV station at around 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday, said that trucks full of soldiers had surrounded the state broadcaster.
"We saw a couple of trucks, with military on them. They came and started setting up checkpoints. There were military in the streets, stopping people," said Katarina Hoije. "When we reached our hotel which is just in front of the TV station, there were lots of military outside, and more cars kept arriving -- pickup trucks with soldiers on them."
She said that they set up two machine guns facing the building.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: "The situation is currently unclear and unfolding quickly," she said. "There are reports of military forces surrounding the presidential palace and movement of vehicles between the palace and the military barracks."
The Tuareg uprising that began in mid-January is being fueled by arms leftover from the civil war in neighboring Libya. Tens of thousands of people have fled the north, and refugees have spilled over into four of the countries neighboring Mali due to the uprising.
The government has not disclosed how many soldiers have been killed, but the toll has been significant. In February, military widows led a protest. In an attempt to diffuse tension, the Malian president allowed himself to be filmed meeting the widows, who publicly grilled him on his handling of the rebellion.

 (Associated Press)

34 comments:

  1. abeg oh, make our own soldiers no try this one because naija go turn into authoritarian soldier system like during the reign of babangida n abacha.

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  2. People and power. All played out with the tape rolling as planned. Nigeria hope u are watching. Such a Backward continent.

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  3. Mehn!!!! D only thing is will they be willing to handover power to a democraticaly elected government? I f they will then... I AM LOVING THIS.

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  4. We need people like them in our soldiers that can over throw our corrupt government.

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    1. Oloriebi- bababukata22 March 2012 at 21:15

      U must av madness in yr veins.

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  5. God loves this country no doubt...With all the hullabaloo happening around d country God still stay on her side and prevent all sorts of calamities happening to her....This is a lesson to our Leaders, they don't need to wait for things like this to happen before they set things in right order

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  6. Military coup now?Africa's going back to its roots.‎​I have always said it that democarcy is not for us!

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    1. @spicee: I couldn't agree more. The West just keeps on pushing this its Democracy agenda without bothering to find out whether the people to whom they are taking that style of govt are ready for it, or even willing to accept it

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  7. Clueless n spineless gej, beware!

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  8. nigeria is not a continent africa is

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  9. WAY TO GO!

    Their grievances are valid. If they are truly being slaughtered and the govt is not only looking the other way but also covering it up, not compensating widows of soldiers that died in active service, then this is their way of getting some attention. They sure went ALL the way though, shut the country DOWN! Damn straight! lol!

    We need people like this in Nigeria. All we know to do is speak grammer and then sit on our hands but a time is coming..... Hmmmmm, GEJ hope you are watching what happens when some pple are pushed to the wall

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  10. anon @ 11:29. I's making reference to Africa. If you've taken care you'd av noticed it's a new sentence. Mali has a history almost like every other country in Africa. This morn event has a high percentage of showing up in almost any African country. That's my basis of that reference.

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  11. if care is not taken this same thin will happen in Nigerian too,and if dose then that means that all of us will pack out things and move to our various villages,so we shud better learn

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  12. I beg o let them not come and influence Nigeria o. We no want o

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  13. This is not good news at all...some Naija soldiers will start getting ambitious again.....

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  14. Africa ...my Africa...

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  15. Am glad dis is happening n dat badluck n paitence johnathan, senators, ministers n governor have tv's n internet 2 hear n c dis. It wil soon start in nigeria, if boko haram is nt curbed. Victims n widows nt compensatd. STOP STEALIN OUR MONEY N DO UR JOB.

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  16. Wow! Real soldiers,real men with balls. Some do have them.......am not sure about the so called giant of Africa.

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  17. ECOWAS should disavow these armed thugs; they staged the coup to loot, not to prosecute the war more efficiently. One has to be a fool to think the army can both govern and fight to win war!

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  18. This was a scenario Nigeria narrowly missed during the Yar'adua debacle.
    We can only pray that these young soldiers live up to the reason they seized power. They could ask the likes of IBB of Nigeria. Power corrupts, and absolute power, sure corrupts absolutely. The world's watching!

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  19. Backward countries... The bane of Africa

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  20. Those guys will only succeed in sending back that country by minimum of ten years.

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  21. *shakin my head* only in Africa

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  22. COUP!!! In 2012?! What the hell is wrong with this continent?

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  23. @spicee i totally agree with u,democracy is way out of our league,we need a govt that worrks for Africa cos of our history and forced boundaries established by colonial authorities which compelled strangers to become one.hope this acts as a wake up call to Nigeria.we need a constitutional conference to address these issues #my2cents-Palo

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  24. if such a thing happens again in nigeria then it will be the divion of nigeria

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  25. Yes! I said it.22 March 2012 at 22:31

    *one sentence* #IwishThisWillHappenInNigeria.

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  26. @Anon march 12, 1030... you are really ignorant.How many years did army people rule us in Nigeria since our independence?Even with the oil boom.Abacha,IBB are but some examples.What foundations did they lay for Nigeria?
    Human beings forget easily.

    Did you really think those soldiers are there to serve their country? NO.They are there for their selfish reasons.
    They have to have a reason to topple their govt.What a flimsy excuse! Two wrongs will never,ever make right!

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  27. Nigeria also needs a revolution. Corruption can't go on forever. Something has got to give. The political class can't continue to loot and embezzle billions and trillions and we just sit an speak grammar about it and nothing happens. Who and how of the revolution I don't know but I know we sure need it NOW.

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  28. Wetin our own soldiers still dey wait for?

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  29. @spicee, God bless you! We have no business with Democracy. It is a system that assumes a lot of awareness and clarity of thought amongst the majority. Our majority are too hungry to think clearly.

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  30. for all who wants this to happen in Nigeria, remember this... you ARE in Nigeria and it will affect u greatly. besides it cant happen, just like the sun will always rise and set.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the comment writers alone and does not reflect or represent the views of Linda Ikeji.

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