Mali: Military junta removes curfew orders September 6 /update 6

Event

The military junta, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), has removed a nationwide curfew implemented on August 18 following a military coup as of Sunday, September 6. A daily curfew had been in place between 00:01 and 05:00 (local time). 

Despite the the CNSP announcing on August 19 that all ports of entry to Mali would reopen on August 21 after the borders had been closed following coup, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) instructed its member states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo) to keep their borders with Mali closed due to the coup.

Context

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation, as well as the dissolution of the National Assembly, around midnight on August 18, during a televised appearance. The announcement came following the detainment of the President and other government officials on the afternoon of August 18 during a military coup. The junta is currently in talks with opposition and civil society groups about a transition to civilian rule, and reports indicate that the junta intends to rule for two years before transitioning; however, ECOWAS members reportedly want the transition to happen sooner.  

Advice

Those in Mali are advised to monitor developments, heed any directives issued by local authorities, and maintain a heightened sense of situational awareness.