Mutinous soldiers arrested Mali's transitional president and prime minister on Monday, hours after a government reshuffle left out two members of the junta that seized power in a coup nine months earlier in the West African nation, the African Union and the United Nations said. Those who signed on to the joint statement called for Mali's political transition "to resume its course and conclude within the established timeframe." N'Daw and Ouane were sworn in last September after the ruling military junta agreed to hand over power to a civilian transitional government under growing international pressure. The junta had grabbed power a month earlier after mutinous soldiers encircled the home of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and fired shots into the air. Notably it did not include Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone or Defence Minister Sadio Camara, both junta supporters.

Source: CBC News May 24, 2021 21:14 UTC