Coup Atlas Research Database
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43205112022ConspiracyMilitary coup

Mali, 2022 — military coup conspiracy

Mali (MLI)West Africa, AfricaMay 11, 2022

Event Summary

This entry is coded 11 May 2022, corresponding to the alleged counter-coup attempt against the military junta of Colonel Assimi Goita in Mali. On 16 to 17 May 2022 the military government announced that it had foiled a coup attempt made on the night of 11 to 12 May 2022 by a small group of what it called anti-progressive Malian officers and non-commissioned officers, whom it said had been supported by an unnamed Western state. Dozens of soldiers, including two generals, were arrested.

The government did not name the country it accused, but relations with the former colonial power France had deteriorated sharply under Goita, who had ordered French troops out, prompting a withdrawal. Goita had himself led coups in August 2020, which ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and in May 2021, when he removed the interim civilian leaders and became president, and his junta had just announced it would extend its stay in power by two years, drawing regional sanctions. The 11 May 2022 coding matches the night of the alleged counter-coup.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Goita's junta said it thwarted the counter-coup and arrested dozens of soldiers
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita (target)
arrested officers including two generals
an unnamed Western state accused of support

Sources

A statement read on Malian state television said a small group of anti-progressive Malian officers and non-commissioned officers attempted a coup on the night of 11 to 12 May 2022 and that these soldiers were supported by a Western state, with the attempt thwarted by the defence and security forces.
SOURCE REVIEWED Al Jazeera: Mali's military government says it foiled countercoup attempt open source ↗
Malian authorities arrested suspects after the ruling junta announced it had foiled a coup attempt supported by an unnamed Western government, thwarting the countercoup against two-time coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita.
SOURCE REVIEWED CBS42/AP: Mali arrests suspects after announcing foiled coup attempt open source ↗
Mali's junta said it had foiled an alleged coup bid, arresting dozens of soldiers including two generals, as the country's military rulers faced domestic uncertainty and international isolation.
SOURCE REVIEWED Firstpost Africa: Mali, General Assimi Goita-Led Junta Foils Alleged Coup Attempt open source ↗
The government's announcement came after years of turmoil in which Goita led coups in 2020 and 2021 before becoming president, and after the junta recently said it would stay in power for another two years, incurring regional sanctions and deteriorating relations with France.
SOURCE REVIEWED Al Jazeera: Mali's military government says it foiled countercoup attempt open source ↗

Editorial Note

Coded 11 May 2022 matches the night of the alleged counter-coup exactly (announced 16-17 May). Verified as the May 2022 Mali counter-coup attempt; the junta accused an unnamed Western state. First Mali record in the run.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
43205112022

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Goita's junta said it thwarted the counter-coup and arrested dozens of soldiers.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

Associated Press

“Mali Arrests Suspects After Announcing Foiled Coup Attempt,” May 17, 2022

BBC Monitoring - Africa

“Mali ‘Foils Western-backed Coup Attempt’,” May 17, 2022

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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