Soldiers patrol after gunshots were heard Tuesday at a military camp near Kati area in Bamako
BAMAKO, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The West Africa regional body, Ecowas, has condemned what it called a mutiny in Mali and has called on soldiers to return to their barracks.
This comes after gunfire erupted inside a military base near the capital Bamako.
Ecowas reiterated its opposition to any unconstitutional change of power.
It is not yet clear how many soldiers took part in the incident which according to some reports was fuelled by a pay dispute.
The unrest coincides with opposition calls for more protests demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubakar Keita.
There is widespread anger at the worsening security situation with jihadist and communal violence on the increase, corruption and the mismanagement of the economy.
The opposition coalition in Mali is calling for dialogue to resolve a brewing crisis after gunfire was heard in an army base near the capital, Bamako.
“There’s no alternative but dialogue now… [we] are searching for a democratic solution and we hope the situation could be resolved in a legal and ordered way,” Issa Kaou Djim, the spokesperson for the June 5 coalition, said.
Kati army base is the same place the 2012 mutiny, which resulted into a coup, is thought to have started.
The French, Norwegian and Swedish embassies have advised people to stay indoors.
Since June, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets calling for President Ibrahim Boubakar Keïta to resign.
They blame him for the economic hardship in the country, corruption, and for failing to deal with the rising Islamist violence. — NNN-AGENCIES
