BAMAKO, April 25 (Reuters) – Mali’s interim leaders named the country’s first post-coup government on Wednesday, faced with the challenge of restoring political stability and tackling a crisis in the rebel-held north.
Soldiers who took power on March 22 hold all three key security posts in a 24-strong cabinet, according to a decree signed by the interim prime minister and president and read out on state television.
The rest of the government is made up of civilians, mostly technocrats and Malians who worked outside the country during the rule of ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure.
A coalition of some 50 political parties and civil society groups opposed to the junta, FDR, said on Wednesday it had not been consulted on the formation of the government.
“Soldiers occupy the key positions when the focus should be on returning the army to the barracks,” it said in a news release, adding that while it disagreed with the government’s make-up, it would not seek to impede its work. (Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo and Adama Diarra; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Andrew Roche)
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