Mali's interim president Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane who were detained and overthrown days ago in what looked like the nation’s second coup within nine months have been freed from military detention.
Family sources said the two leaders have returned to their homes in the capital Bamako, though the conditions of their release were not clear.
Ndaw and Ouane, tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup last August, were detained by the military on Monday in what the international community called a military coup.
The development came a day after military officials said the country's transitional president and prime minister had "resigned" while in detention, a move the UN called "unacceptable".
Over the past few days, the UN, along with the African Union and other international bodies, as well as the US, have repeatedly urged Mali’s military to release the transitional leaders.
The leader of Mali’s 2020 coup, Col. Assimi Goita, who has been serving as the transitional vice president since September, seized control of the West African country earlier this week by deposing the two leaders in an unprecedented move.
"The interim president and prime minister were released overnight around 1.30am [local time]. We were true to our word," a senior military official speaking on condition of anonymity said.
Ndaw and Ouane had been heading the interim government with the declared aim of restoring full civilian rule within 18 months.
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