Mali coup: Minister finally back home

something that was disrupted by the coup,” he said.
Minister Mumbengegwi said the meeting was expected to focus on three critical issues — the results of the Nato invasion of Libya, the influx of refugees into the Sahel region and the threat of famine.
The Sahel region comprises Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad.
“After the war in Libya there was a high proliferation of heavy weapons into Mali and its neighbours as their citizens returned home after years of working in Libya from where they used to send huge remittances to their governments,” he said.

“This had brought a lot of instability into the region, hence the need to urgently address the matter.”
Minister Mumbengegwi said the situation in northern Mali had been volatile as most of the returnees were armed.
They were now pushing for the formation of a separate Islamic homeland from the main country.
The Malian government, Minister Mumbengegwi said, had sought to use dialogue to defuse the situation, but the military felt it was being lenient.

Malian citizens, he said, openly discussed the military’s decision to intervene, making it sound as if it would be just to flush out the rebellion in the north.
“They said the military was going to take over the radio and television stations only and steer the country to peace before handing over power to a democratically elected government.

“Their elections were due next month as the ousted president had done his two terms. The elections are now doubtful after (last) Wednesday afternoon’s events in which President Amadou Toumani Toure was taken from the State House to an unknown destination.”
Minister Mumbengegwi said up to now his whereabouts remained a mystery with some suggesting that he was being kept in the army barracks while others think he is hiding in one of the foreign embassies.

Other ministers had left in a huff leaving him and the foreign ministers from Kenya, Niger and Tunisia holed up in Bamako.
Minister Mumbengegwi said Zimbabwe was deeply disturbed by the developments in Mali and like the United Nations and AU, did not condone unconstitutional changes in governments, adding that coups had become unfashionable in Africa.

He, however, said the renegade soldiers did not seem to be a serious force that could stand the heat if Ecowas and other regional forces decided to deal with them.
Ecowas and the AU have since suspended Mali from their memberships.