Nigeria on Tuesday demanded “unconditional released” of Mali’s President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.
The duo has been detained by Malian soldiers in a military camp in Kati near the capital, Bamako, after a cabinet reshuffle that saw two senior army officers who took part in last year’s coup replaced.
Their detention has raised fears of a second coup within a year in the impoverished West Africa country.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, like the United Nations mission in Mali, has condemned their detention and called for their unconditional release.
“The action is totally unacceptable and might derail the peace-building efforts and timetable for the return of democratic governance in Mali,” said Ferdinand Nwonye, spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs ministry.
“The key actors and perpetrators of the condemnable act should be aware of the fact that stakeholders in the region and friends of Mali reject any act of coercion of the detained officials, including forced resignations.”
