Mali: Soldiers angry about rebellion in north cut off state TV and radio firing guns into air in capital
Disgruntled soldiers have stormed state TV and radio in Mali’s capital and cut off broadcasts in a growing fallout over a northern rebellion where Tuareg separatists are besting the military.
Soldiers say Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Gassama was visiting a military camp near the presidential palace in Bamako on Wednesday when unhappy young troopers started firing into the air. They then stoned the general’s car, forcing him to leave the camp in haste.
The soldiers told The Associated Press that the campaign in northern Mali is badly managed, short of arms and food supplies. They also said the government must take better care of the families of soldiers killed in the rebellion that started mid-January.