Gunfire overnight in Bamako after parachutist rebellion put down

There was gunfire overnight Tuesday in Mali’s capital after the military junta said it had put down a rebellion by parachutists loyal to deposed President Amadou Tourmani Touré.

AFP /Habibou Kouyaté

The situation in Bamako was unstable on Tuesday, according to RFI’s website in French, after heavy weapons fire was heard overnight.

Coup leader Captain Amadou Haya Sanago promised that the agreement on transition to civilian rule still stood in a TV interview Tuesday and the junta said that the attacks had been put down.

His supporters said that Monday’s attack national TV and radio stations, the airport and the army base at Kati was an attempt to kill Sanogo by parachutists and “mercenaries”, backed by an unnamed “foreign elements”.

Some sources said that the paras, who were resented by the rest of the army because of alleged favourable treatment by Touré, launched their attacks after the pro-coup military tried to arrest a top officer close to the deposed president.

Fourteen people were reported dead and 40 wounded.

Sanogo on Saturday rejected a plan by west African leaders in to send an Ecowas force to the country and opposed their demand for elections within 12 months.

A meeting planned for Tuesday of former junta representatives with Ecowas mediator, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré, was cancelled.