“The interim president and prime minister were released last night at around 1:30 am (GMT). We have kept our word,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The release of Bah Ndau and Moctar Ouane was confirmed by their families.
Ndau and Ouane were detained on May 24 by the military and transferred to an army base near the Malian capital, Bamako.
The UN, the United States, the European Union and other international actors strongly condemned the arrest.
On May 25, Mali’s Vice President and Head of the Military Council, Assimi Goita, reported that Ndau and Ouane had been removed from their posts for violating the Transitional Charter. The next day it was learned that the Military Council would be in charge of governing Mali.
On August 18, 2020, a riot broke out in Mali at a Kati military base, located near Bamako. A group of high-ranking military officials mutinied and arrested then-President Boubacar Keita and several ministers. Hours later, the president announced his resignation and the dissolution of Parliament and the Government.
After negotiations with political leaders and representatives of civil society, the military approved on September 12 “the main law and the roadmap for the transition period” in the country. The parties decided that the transition period was to last 18 months.
The former defense minister, Ba Ndau, was appointed as interim president, and the former foreign minister, Moctar Ouane, as prime minister. In mid-May, Ndau tasked Ouane with the formation of a new government after the previous transitional Cabinet, also headed by Ouane, resigned in full.
