Mali Trial Against Ex-putsch Leader Postponed

A court in Mali's capital Bamako on Thursday postponed a case against former coup leader Amadou Sanogo who is accused of killing 21 elite soldiers, AFP journalists said

Bamako, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Feb, 2021 ) :A court in Mali's capital Bamako on Thursday postponed a case against former coup leader Amadou Sanogo who is accused of killing 21 elite soldiers, AFP journalists said.

A former army captain, Sanogo and several other plotters staged a military coup against President Amadou Toumani Toure in the Sahel state in 2012, after a rebellion emerged in the country's north.

But the junta led by Sanago stepped aside under international pressure after critical northern cities such as Timbuktu and Gao fell to the rebels.

Sanogo was later arrested and then held for six years on charges of killing 21 elite "Red Berets" who opposed the putsch.

Jihadists have since commandeered the northern rebellion with the violence spreading to central Mali as well as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, killing thousands.

A court ordered Sanogo's temporary release last year, which sparked fears among rights defendants that the former putschist would avoid facing trial.

Those fears were assuaged after lawyers handling the case indicated this month that the trial was set to resume on Thursday.

The court did convene on Thursday -- but it postponed Sanogo's hearing until March 11, without specifying a reason.

Sanogo, who was wearing a white suit and sunglasses, was in attendance alongside ex-defence minister and ranking junta member Ibrahima Dahirou Dembele, according to AFP journalists present.

The former coup plotter's lawyers suggested to AFP that the delay is administrative, relating to personnel changes in the judiciary.

When it reconvenes, the court may ratify a financial settlement reached between the plaintiffs and the accused, according to lawyers involved in the case, who did not say whether they thought Sanogo would be sentenced.