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| - Mali's Prime Minister Moctar Ouane said Monday that soldiers took him by force to the president's residence, after a government reshuffle saw two former putschists replaced. Details remain sketchy, but the prime minister told AFP by phone that soldiers affiliated with interim vice president Colonel Assimi Goita "came to take me". Several officials close to Ouane, who requested anonymity, confirmed that soldiers had led him away. The detention of the prime minister followed a sensitive government reshuffle in the unstable West African nation announced during the afternoon. Controversially, army figures have held key roles in Mali's interim government, which was installed after the August coup which toppled elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. A new government of 25 ministers was announced on Monday in response to growing criticisms of the army's overbearing influence. The military kept the strategic portfolios they controlled during the previous administration in the reshuffle. But two coup leaders -- ex-defence minister Sadio Camara and ex-security minister Colonel Modibo Kone -- were replaced. The reshuffle came at a time of growing political contestation in the capital Bamako, and pressure to stick to the deadline for promised reforms. Unconfirmed rumours of a potential coup were swirling around Bamako on Monday evening, but the city remained relatively calm. Young military officers ousted Keita on August 18 after weeks of protests concerning perceived government corruption and his handling of Mali's jihadist insurgency. Threatened by international sanctions, the military junta later handed power to a caretaker government that pledged to reform the constitution and stage elections within 18 months. Putschists and men with military links also retained powerful roles in this interim government. Coup leader Assimi Goita is currently serving as interim vice president, and the interim president, Bah Ndaw, is a retired army officer. The pledge to complete reforms within 18 months has spurred many doubts as to whether the military-dominated government has the will, or the ability, to stage votes on such a timescale. The country also faces a major logistical and security challenge, as swathes of territory are in the hands of jihadists. On May 14, the interim government pledged to appoint a new "broad-based" cabinet, amid growing anger over the prominence of military figures and the slowness of promised reforms. An official at Mali's interim presidency, who requested anonymity, said the reshuffle was designed to send a message that "respect for the transition deadline remains the priority". He also underscored the necessity of replacing the defence and security ministers. "They are not emblematic figures of the junta," the official said, referring to the newly appointed ministers. In a sign of mounting unease in Bamako, the opposition M5 movement -- which spearheaded anti-Keita protests -- this month called for the dissolution of the interim government, demanding "a more law-abiding and more legitimate" body. But the M5 is divided. Two members of the Union for the Republic and Democracy party, for example, were appointed interim ministers Monday. The party is part of the M5. As well as political feuding, Mali is also currently wracked by other disputes. The country's largest union, UNTM, called a second week of strikes Monday after pay negotiations with the interim government collapsed. kd-st/eml/jz
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