The United Nations Security Council gathered behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss the derailment of Mali's transitional government following the obvious forced departure on Tuesday of both the president and prime minister by the leader of last August's military coup.

As per news reports, Colonel Assimi Goita, the acting Vice President who contributed to the overthrow of former President Ibrahim Boubacr Keita last year, detained top civilian leaders on Monday because they failed to seek advice from him on a government restructuring.

The Security Council "strongly denounced the detention of the transitional President" and other authorities by components of Mali's defense and security forces," as per a report published during the emergency gathering.

They demanded that all imprisoned officials be freed safely, immediately, and unconditionally, and encouraged defence and security forces to "return to their bases without waiting."

Ambassadors also reiterated their support for the civilian-led transition in Mali and advocated for its quick resumption, aiming to elections and constitutional order inside the agreed-upon 18-month schedule set after the rebellion last year.

Use of force is not permitted

"They urged all Malian stakeholders to emphasize trust-building, conversation, and being prepared to compromise to accomplish these goals.  They repeatedly insisted that forcing a change in transitional leadership by pressure, involving compelled resignations, is intolerable."

The arrests were addressed with dismay on Monday by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who once said his special representative of the area was working in conjunction with the regional economic group ECOWAS, the African Union, many of whom are helping the transformation.

MINUSMA, the UN mission in Mali, joined international allies in denouncing Monday's "attempted coup."

They requested the immediate and unconditional release of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, stressing that the “military elements” accountable for their confinement would be held “personally accountable” for their safety.

Discussions on the ground

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday that MINUSMA "keeps working closely with the team from ECOWAS, which is presently in Bamako, the capital of Mali."

“Our Special Representative and Head of the Peacekeeping Mission, El-Ghassim WANE, attended discussions with the ECOWAS committee,” he stated.

He indicated that MINUSMA will continue to assist ECOWAS' efforts and "calls on all parties concerned to collaborate properly to resume the regular course of the transformation as quickly as possible, within the framework granted by the Charter."

To address the situation, it is 'critical'

As per Dujarric, it is "critical that such a problem be handled promptly since it represents an extra hurdle that would significantly influence the implementation of the Peace Agreement."

Guterres continues to evaluate the situation in Mali "with concern and engagement."

France, Niger, Tunisia, Kenya, and Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines requested the Security Council emergency conference which began at 3 pm New York time.