Mali: New attempted coup and further signs of instability

• 17 May 2022: According to AP News reporting on 17 May 2022, the ruling military government announced that an attempted coup, supported by an unnamed Western government, had been foiled. The military personnel involved were arrested for interrogation. In recent weeks, Mali has accused France of meddling in its internal affairs and of not supporting Colonel Goita (who himself led a coup in 2020, and again in 2021 when the transitional government showed signs of becoming too independent), even though France is supporting the military take-over in He now intends to withdraw Mali from the G5 regional counter-terrorism force.

• 21 May 2022: As reported by AP News on 20 May 2022, a family of Jehovah Witnesses from Italy have been abducted in Sincina in southern Mali. Kidnap for ransom is common for jihadists and other armed groups in the region. Earlier in May 2022, it emerged that Pope Francis had authorized the payment of up to 1 million EUR so that a Catholic nun kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Karangasso (about 27 kilometers from where the Italian family was abducted) could be freed in 2021.

World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “The above reports highlight the political fragility of Mali and the risk to foreign missionaries in particular wherever they are active in the country. The Sahel region (particularly Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) has for years now been affected by the violent activities of militant groups. The regional G5 force was set up in 2017 to counter the jihadist threat but has struggled to reduce the levels of violence, partly due to a lack of funding. While the Mali’s withdrawal from the group may not have any significant impact, the situation in the Sahel remains volatile. Civilians continue to be targeted and for Christians and other religious minorities, religious freedoms are curtailed as the jihadists are fighting to build a caliphate in their area of operation.”