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The 1968 Malian coup d'état was a bloodless
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
coup in
Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
staged on 19 November 1968 against the government of President Modibo Keïta. The coup was led by Lieutenant (later Major General) Moussa Traoré, who then became the head of state.


Background

File:Keita, 1966 (cropped).jpg, President Modibo Keïta in 1966 File:Moussa Traoré (1989) (cropped).jpg, The leader of the putschists, Moussa Traoré, in 1989. File:Tiécoro Bagayoko.jpg, Another putschist, Tiécoro Bagayoko, in the 1970s. President Keïta, father of Malian independence, had ruled a
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
government since 1960, supported by his party, the Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally (US-RDA). However, his politics faced economic difficulties. In 1966, he suspended the constitution and the parliament, replaced by a ''Comité National de Défense de la Révolution'' with full powers. The population was increasingly dissatisfied by the government. A coup was plotted by Malian junior officers, in particular
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
s Moussa Traoré, Tiécoro Bagayoko, Kissima Doukara, Youssouf Traoré and Filifing Sissoko, and
non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
s such as ''adjudant-chef'' Soungalo Samaké. The Malian senior officers had little or no control on their subordinates. Unlike many putsches in French former colonies, this one was not supported by foreign actors. The two prominent organizers of pro-Western coups in Africa, Houphouët-Boigny, President of Ivory Coast, and Jacques Foccart, adviser for African affairs of
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
,
President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...
, were surprised by the coup.


The coup

During the night of November 18–19, at midnight, the putschists gathered the Kati garrison and announced them their intentions. The telephone network was cut off at 2 am and cadres of the US-RDA were arrested before dawn. The soldiers stopped President Keïta's convoy as he was going back to
Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...
from
Mopti Mopti (Fulfulde: Mobti) is a town and an urban commune in the Inner Niger Delta region of Mali. The town is the capital of the Mopti Cercle and the Mopti Region. Situated 630 km northeast of Bamako, the town lies at the confluence of the ...
. They wanted him to be arrested at
Koulikoro Koulikoro ( Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ tr. Kulikoro) is a town and urban commune in Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in A ...
when landing from his riverboat, the ''Général Abdoulaye Soumaré'', but Keïta was ahead of schedule and his
Citroën DS The Citroën DS () is a Front-mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations ...
was blocked at 10 am at Kayo, a few kilometers from Bamako. Lieutenant Bagayoko asked "''Monsieur le président, voulez-vous vous mettre à la disposition de l’armée ?'' r. President, would you like to make yourself available to the army? and the officers forced him into a
BTR-152 The BTR-152 is a six-wheeled Soviet armoured personnel carrier (APC) built on the chassis and drive train of a ZIS-151 utility truck. It entered service with a number of Warsaw Pact member states beginning in 1950, and formed the mainstay of Sovi ...
armored personnel carrier. He was brought to the center of the capital by 11:30. They demand him to stop his socialist policy and to replace his collaborators but Modibo Keïta refused, arguing he was democratically elected as a socialist. However, according to Captain Abdoulaye Ouologuem, driver of the presidential car, the mutineers only demanded new elections but the president refused. The military faction then broadcast a radio message announcing "the dictatorial regime ..has fallen".


Consequences

Due to the poor economic record of president Keïta, the coup was well received by the population. However, the immediate causes for the coup were overwhelming financial and economic problems, made worse by an especially poor harvest in 1968. Modibo Keïta and other cadres of the previous regime were imprisoned in
Kidal Kidal ( Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about and incl ...
and Taoudenni. Modibo Keïta died in captivity in Bamako in 1977. Ten lieutenants (Moussa Traoré, Baba Diarra, Youssouf Traoré, Filifing Sissoko, Tiécoro Bagayoko, Joseph Marat, Mamadou Sanogho, Cissema Toukara, Moussa Kone and Karim Dembele) and four captains ( Yoro Diakité, Malik Diallo, Charles Cissoko and Mamadou Cissoko) formed the Military Committee for National Liberation. Moussa Traoré became its Chairman and promised democracy and free elections, that never came. He was proclaimed President in 1969 and ruled the country until he was deposed in the 1991 coup d'état.


See also

*
1991 Malian coup d'état The 26 March 1991 Malian coup d'état resulted in the overthrow of President Moussa Traoré after over two decades of dictatorship and eventually led to multi-party elections. Background In 1968, Traoré had himself led a 1968 Malian coup d'éta ...
* 2012 Malian coup d'état * 2020 Malian coup d'état


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1968 Malian coup d'etat
Coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
Malian coup d'état Military coups in Mali Malian coup d'état, 1968 Malian coup d'état