Mali has arrested soldiers suspected of involvement in coordinated attacks carried out last week by jihadi and separatist fighters.
In a statement late Friday, a judicial official said “the first arrests have been successfully carried out, and all other perpetrators, co-perpetrators, and accomplices are actively being sought.”
The official did not specify the number of suspects identified or who had been taken into custody. However, the statement noted that the list of potential accomplices includes three active-duty soldiers, one retired soldier, and a dismissed soldier who was killed in fighting near the country’s main army base in Kati, 15km outside the capital Bamako.
The public prosecutor at the military court of Bamako said there was “solid evidence regarding the complicity of certain military personnel” in the attacks.
According to the statement read on state television, the officers assisted in “the planning, coordination, and execution” of the attacks.
It added that Oumar Mariko, a prominent politician in exile, was also involved in the plot. Mariko has previously denied collaborating with jihadists.
The attacks, which began on the morning of April 25, were carried out by the Liberation of Azawad (FLA), a separatist group seeking a Tuareg state, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali.
Defence Minister Sadio Camara and three members of his family were killed after a vehicle-borne explosive detonated outside his residence in Kati.
Interim President Assimi Goita and other junta leaders were also reportedly targeted but were moved to safety.
