Mali's Unfolding Coup

Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, leader of Mali's military junta, seized control of the capital, Bamako, on March 21. The following day, he declared himself president of the National Committee for the Return of Democracy and the Restoration of the States (CNRDR). The coup appears to have started with what may have been an impromptu mutiny at the Kati barracks outside the city after a visit by Malian Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Gassama reportedly failed to address troops' grievances.

The discontent in the ranks takes place amid a renewed Tuareg insurgency in Mali's far north, and some Malian military forces fighting in the north have fallen back to the city of Gao in the aftermath of the coup. While it is not clear whether those forces' loyalties lie with Sanogo or Malian President Amadou Tomani, a significant amount of territory has already been ceded to Tuareg militants and may prove difficult for the Malian government to win back.