Dozens of Malian soldiers arrested over alleged coup plot against junta


Dozens of soldiers have been arrested in Mali accused of plotting to topple the country's military leaders, sources say.


The wave of arrests, which reportedly went on overnight and are expected to continue, reflect increased tensions within the military government, with reports that a jihadist insurgency in the north is gaining ground. 


The authorities have not commented on the arrests.


Initial reports indicated that Gen Abass Dembele, the former governor of the Mopti region and Gen Nema Sagara, one of the few women at the highest levels of the Malian army, were among those detained.


However, a source close to Gen Dembele told the BBC that neither of them had been arrested.


The source, who confirmed the ongoing arrests, told a BBC reporter in Bamako that he had just left Gen Dembele's house and he was "doing well".


The AFP news agency reported that the detained soldiers were allegedly planning to overthrow the government, citing multiple sources within the military and junta-backed transitional council.


"All are soldiers. Their objective was to overthrow the junta," it quoted an unnamed lawmaker in the National Transition Council as saying.


He said there had been about "50 arrests", while a security source said there were at least 20 arrests, linked to "attempts to destabilise the institutions."


The arrests have reportedly been going on over a number of days.


They come amid political tension heightened by the junta's crackdown on former Prime Ministers Moussa Mara and Choguel Maiga over accusations of harming the reputation of the state and embezzlement.

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