Members of the Malian army on Monday arrested the president, prime minister and defense minister of the country's interim government after a reshuffle. According to REUTERS, this act accentuates the political chaos in the country after the military coup last year. President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Minister of Defense Souleymane Doucouré were all taken to a military base in Kati, outside the capital Bamako, hours after two members of the army lost their places in the government during the reshuffle, the sources said.

The arrests come after last August's military coup in which President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was ousted from power and could heighten tensions in the West African country, where groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) controls large portions of the desert north.

Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane were tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule, but they reportedly rejected army control of a number of key portfolios.
A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is expected in Bamako on Tuesday May 26, 2021.