Amadou Sanogo
Amadou Sanogo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman of the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State of Mali | |
| In office 22 March 2012 – 12 April 2012 | |
| Deputy | Seyba Traoré |
| Preceded by | Amadou Toumani Touré(President) |
| Succeeded by | Dioncounda Traoré(Acting President) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1972 or 1973 Mali |
| Political party | National Committee for Recovering Democracy and Restoring the State |
Amadou Haya Sanogo(born 1972 or 1973)[1]is aMalianmilitary officer who was leader of the2012 Malian coup d'étatagainst PresidentAmadou Toumani Touré.He proclaimed himself the leader of the National Committee for Recovering Democracy and Restoring the State (CNRDRE).[2]Sanogo was also said to be involved in the arrest and resignation of acting Prime MinisterCheick Modibo Diarrain December 2012, leading to the appointment of civil servantDjango Sissokoas Prime Minister.[3]According toHuman Rights Watch,Sanogo’s forces were implicated in serious human rights abuses includingtorture,sexual abuse, and intimidation against journalists and family members of detained soldiers.[4]
Early and personal life
[edit]Sanogo is one of six children born to Mamadou Sanogo and his wife.[5]Amadou Sanogo is nicknamed "Bolly" by relatives.[5]
Sanogo comes fromSégou,one of Mali's largest cities on theNiger River.[6]Sanogo has spent 22 years in theMalian Armed Forces.[7]Before the coup, Sanogo had held a mid-level army position.[8]A participant in theInternational Military Education and Trainingprogram,[9]he received training "at training programmes in the United States, in Georgia and at theMarine Corps Base Quanticoin Virginia ",[10]but his American instructors "never marked him out as future leadership material".[7]He also studiedEnglish languageatLackland Air Force Basein Texas.[7]
CRNDRE
[edit]His first actions asde factohead of state included suspending theconstitutionand activities of some organizations, as well as declaring a curfew and closing the borders. Though the rationale for the coup had beenAmadou Toumani Touré's alleged mismanagement of the2012 Tuareg rebellion,the Malian military lost control of the regional capitals ofKidal,Gao,andTimbuktuwithin ten days of Sanogo's assuming office,[11]leadingReutersto describe the coup as "a spectacularown-goal".[12]On 4 April,The New York Timesreported that he was trying to deflect attention from the coup to the struggles in the north, telling a reporter, "We should forget a little the Committee, the Parliament, the Constitution — that can wait. The serious topic, it’s the north. That’s the most important."[13]
Following the economic sanctions and a blockade by theEconomic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) on the country, a deal, brokered in Burkina Faso by PresidentBlaise Compaoréunder the auspices of ECOWAS, was signed that would see Sanogo cede power toDioncounda Traoré,who would assume the presidency in an interim capacity until anelectioncould be held.[14]
After the new interim President Dioncounda Traoré and Prime MinisterCheick Modibo Diarratook office, the junta led by Sanogo made it clear that they were stepping aside only temporarily and that the junta would retain a supervisory role until the elections.[15][16]ECOWAS gave the interim government one year to hold elections.[citation needed]
On 24 November 2012, Sanogo joined Malian religious leaders to speak at a Bamako rally against religious extremism.[17]
On 11 December 2012, Prime Minister Modibo Diarra was arrested by Sanogo's junta and forced to resign.[18]The move, which was condemned by ECOWAS, was followed the same day by the appointment ofDjango Sissokoas Prime Minister.[19]
Arrest and release pending trial
[edit]Following the election ofIbrahim Boubacar Keitaas President, Sanogo was promoted to the rank offour-stargeneralon 14 August 2013; it was believed that the move was part of an effort to convince Sanogo to retire, enabling him to do so with dignity. Shortly before Keita was sworn in as President, Sanogo was dismissed from his post as head of a military reform committee on 28 August 2013.[20]
On 27 November 2013, Sanogo was arrested and charged with complicity in the kidnapping and disappearance of rivals within the Malian military. He remains in detention while awaiting trial.[21]
In January 2020, it was announced that Sanogo would be released pending his upcoming trial. This was in accordance with a court decision ordering Sanogo's release after Sanogo's trial date was postponed at the last minute.[22]
References
[edit]
- ^Martin Vogl and Michelle Faul (24 March 2012)."Mali Coup: Amadou Sanogo, Coup Leader, Says He Is Firmly In Control".Huffingtonpost.Retrieved2012-03-25.
- ^David Lewis and Tiemoko Diallo (22 March 2012)."Mali soldiers say seize power after palace attack".Vision.org. Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2012.Retrieved2012-03-25.
- ^"Django Sissoko named Mali prime minister".Africa Review.12 December 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 26 January 2018.Retrieved12 December2012.
- ^Mali: Security Forces ‘Disappear’ 20, Torture OthersCrackdown on People Linked to Counter-Coup, Journalists (JULY 25, 2012) Human Rights Watch. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^abCallimachi, Rukmini (2012-07-07)."How 1 man derailed 20 years of democracy in Mali".Associated Press.Retrieved2012-07-30.[permanent dead link]
- ^Daniel, Serge (25 March 2012)."Mali's Amadou Sanogo comes from obscurity to head junta".Archived fromthe originalon May 16, 2013.Retrieved26 May2012.
- ^abcJulius Cavendish (28 March 2012)."Mali's Coup Leader: Interview with an Improbable Strongman".Time. Archived fromthe originalon March 31, 2012.Retrieved30 March2012.
- ^Hirsch, Afua (22 March 2012)."Mali rebels claim to have ousted regime in coup".The Guardian.London.Retrieved22 March2012.
- ^Whitlock, Craig (24 March 2012)."Leader of Mali military coup trained in U.S."Washington Post.Retrieved5 April2012.
- ^Boswell, Alan (2012-03-23)."Leader of Mali military coup received US training".Kansas City Star.McClatchy Newspapers.Retrieved2012-03-25.
- ^"Mali crisis: Who's who?".BBC News. 2 April 2012.Retrieved5 April2012.
- ^Cheick Dioura and Adama Diarra (31 March 2012)."Mali Rebels Assault Gao, Northern Garrison".The Huffington Post.Reuters.Retrieved5 April2012.
- ^J. David Goodman (4 April 2012)."Junta Leader in Mali Tries to Shift Focus From Coup".The New York Times.Retrieved5 April2012.
- ^"Mali junta says power transfer 'within days'".Al Jazeera. 7 April 2012.Retrieved17 April2012.
- ^"Mali: An Analysis of the Current Situation".North Africa United.24 April 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-05.Retrieved27 April2012.
- ^"Mali dobio novu vladu"(in Croatian). Radiosarajevo.ba. 25 April 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-27.Retrieved27 April2012.
- ^"Malians Rally Against Religious Extremism".The New York Times.Associated Press. 24 November 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 26 May 2024.Retrieved26 November2012.
- ^"Mali PM Cheick Modibo Diarra resigns after army arrest",BBC News, 11 December 2012.
- ^"Django Sissoko named as Mali prime minister",BBC News, 11 December 2012.
- ^"Mali coup leader fired",Reuters, 29 August 2013.
- ^Diarra, Adama (2013-12-04)."Mass grave with 21 bodies found near Mali military base".Associated Press.Retrieved2013-12-08.
- ^"Mali: Former junta leader to walk free while trial date pends",Amnesty International, 28 January 2020.
