Mixed Reactions to Coup d’état in Bamako

The Streets are Talking

The day after the military coup that ousted the now former-president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta from power, an outdoor celebration was held at Bamako’s Independence Square. Sidibe Djenebou, the Bamako resident, is impassioned, "Yeah, the coup d'état was not carried out by the soldiers. It's the Malian people who launched a coup."

Another local, Madame Dicko, is also happy with the outcome, "There was total chaos in the country, so the people cried out and raised their voices calling for the head of state Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to listen to his people. He didn't want to and so the army stepped in. I think that ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) should stay calm, it's a Malian problem, it'll be fixed internally, not externally."

And yet, there are still some who are against the nation’s current political situation, such as Sedou Dolo, "I condemn the coup d'état because it won't advance the country, we'll keep on lagging behind. When the army comes they promise us a lot of things, but nothing really happens as far as laws are concerned."

Mixed sentiments as the nation awaits the promised general elections to reclaim civilian power.

Tuesday’s developments were condemned by the African Union and the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, which had made several efforts to mediate Mali’s political crisis for months.

Former coloniser, France — which has maintained a peacekeeping mission in Mali since 2013, also expressed alarm in light of Keita’s resignation.