Mali court appoints coup leader Goita as interim presiden

Mali’s constitutional court has named the colonel who led a military coup this week as the country’s new interim leader.

The ruling, issued late on Friday, said Assimi Goita would “lead the transition process to its conclusion” and carry the title of “president of the transition, head of state”.

The court said it had made the decision due to the “vacancy in the presidency” following the resignation of caretaker President Bah Ndaw.

Goita, 38, was previously Ndaw’s deputy, and had ordered the former leader’s arrest on Monday following a cabinet reshuffle that stripped two soldiers of their ministerial posts.

Ndaw resigned while in detention on Wednesday and was later released.

Friday’s ruling raised the stakes as West African leaders prepared to meet on Sunday to decide how they would respond to the takeover, which regional and Western governments fear could could exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali and undermine a regional fight against armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

Goita’s power grab is his second in less than a year.