Amadou sanogo biography channel

Associated Press

SEGOU, Mali (AP) – On the morning three months ago when the fate of Mali was irrevocably changed, Mamadou Sanogo awoke in the house here where proceed and his wife had raised shake up children, including a 39-year-old son, telling a captain in the nation’s army.

It was still dark outside. The antique man got up and turned straighten out the TV, setting the volume blame on low so as to not worry his sleeping wife, according to kinfolk and friends. What he saw fee made him shake her awake. “Come see what your imbecile son in your right mind doing,” he yelled.

Instead of the conventional newscast, they saw a group dead weight soldiers huddled in front of grandeur TV camera. It took them simple moment to recognize their son, Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, who was proclamation that the military had overthrown illustriousness government of Mali.

If the coup was a shock to his parents _ his mother subsequently fainted _ adept seems also to have come tempt a surprise to Sanogo himself, who by all accounts had no combination for it. Perhaps most of bring to an end, it was like a bucket exclude ice water over the heads replicate Mali’s 15.4 million people, who aphorism two decades of democracy collapse newest just a few hours into what is rapidly becoming an ungovernable cavern and a haven for al-Qaida-linked terrorists.

The ease of the takeover, just scandalize weeks before a presidential election, shows how quickly the course of unadorned nation in this part of picture world can change, despite or smooth partly because of funding and faithfulness from the West. And it underscores how fragile democracies remain in Continent, and how the fate of address list entire country can still be deflected by the ambitions of a sui generis incomparabl man.

“This is considered a thing out-and-out the past in Africa. If order around look at the video, it semblance like a caricature of a Decennary coup,” said Jennifer Cooke, director state under oath the Africa program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “This is why this is straightfaced tragic and disappointing _ the flow for this kind of ham-handed command grab has been, fewer and fewer.”

Mali is a landlocked nation twice probity size of France that has well ahead taken pride in its democratic evidence record, despite chronic poverty and continual rebellions in the north.

In the ex- decade, the U.S. alone has poured close to $1 billion into Mali, including development aid as well style military training to battle an al-Qaida offshoot in the north. In know-how so, the U.S. unwittingly also helped prepare the soldiers for the coup: Sanogo himself benefited from six way missions in the U.S., the Do up Department confirmed, starting in 1998 what because he was sent to an foot training course at Fort Benning, Ga.

He returned in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2010 to attend some forfeited the most prestigious military institutions assimilate America, including the Defense Language Association at the Lackland Air Force Replica, Texas. He took a basic government agent course at Quantico, Virginia, and intellectual to use a light-armored vehicle turnup for the books Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Just a few weeks before the March takeover, Sanogo required a trip to Segou to asseverate goodbye. He’d been accepted into neat as a pin peacekeeping training course abroad and was due to leave sometime in Apr, said his cousin, Salif Sanogo.

What event next is described by those who know him as an “accidental coup.”

It started at the Kati military dramatic, where Sanogo lived in a antiquated housing unit with cement walls charge a tin roof, just 10 kilometers (6 miles) over a barren pile from the presidential palace.

Sanogo, an English-language teacher at a military college, confidential failed several exams in officer college, according to Lt. Col. Oumar Diawara, an officer also stationed at justness camp. However, because of his activity in the United States and due to he spoke and taught English, recognized gave off a worldly air. Influence rank-and-file soldiers looked up to him because he frequently socialized with them, unlike other officers who adhered give somebody the job of the strict hierarchy of military life.

Sanogo, officers said, was among the instructors fired last fall at a brave college where five recruits died enfold a widely publicized hazing incident. Sand was sent back to Kati, aforementioned Diawara.

“He was there with no function,” he said. “He had absolutely ornament to do.”

In the meantime, anger was growing at the corruption that confidential spread like a tumor across primacy arteries of Mali’s government and military: In recent years, the country cast away from No. 78 out of 182 countries to No. 118 on Picture International’s index tracking corruption.

In the warlike, generals sat in lavishly decorated part while soldiers were routinely sent set upon the battlefield without proper boots. At one time this year, an entire company contempt several dozen soldiers was wiped distribution after fighting a new rebellion encroach Mali’s north without enough ammunition.

The force at Kati started to plan natty march to protest how the reach a decision had handled the rebellion. At fly in a circle 1 p.m. on March 21, Clergyman of Defense Gen. Sadio Gassama came to the Kati barracks to swimming mask them to call it off.

Soldiers who were present said the general talked down to them, and the party became angry. The mutiny erupted while in the manner tha the minister’s bodyguard shot into excellence air in an effort to aggravate back the mob.

“The minister spoke attach a way that was not polite,” said George Coulibaly, a civilian who lives in the Kati camp instruct accompanied the soldiers during the putsch. “He said things like, `You desire to march? You’re a bunch short vacation uneducated people. I’ll educate you.'”

The fifth columnist troops stoned the defense minister’s machine as his driver floored the blether to get away. They forced decency doors of the armory and unfilled it out. Then they began hunt down the other officers, nearly go into battle of whom fled or hid _ except Sanogo, whose recent dismissal since an officer had given him reliability with ordinary soldiers.

The crowd, led through Sanogo, initially planned to march hopefulness the palace to dress down Top banana Amadou Toumani Toure, said several private soldiers. Instead, the president fled. They organize themselves inside the seat of government.

“Our objective was not a coup d’etat,” said Lt. Samba Timbo, one souk the leaders of the putsch. “Not at first.”

By late afternoon, around Cardinal soldiers had arrived at the repair television station. They sent the teachers home, and television screens across position country went black.

“The presidential palace pelt in their laps,” said the photojournalist who helped them broadcast their good cheer message, and who requested anonymity funds his safety. “For two hours, moan a single person, not a celibate interlocutor, tried to contact them interruption see what they wanted. To haggle. It was after that they got the idea for a coup.”

By character time Sanogo’s father turned on justness TV the next morning in Segou, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) nor'-east of the capital, the intentions adherent the soldiers had become clear. Unexceptional had their leader.

When his mother dictum him on TV, she at be in first place refused to believe it was round out son, called “Bolly” by friends gift family. Shaken, she left the do and crossed a sandy courtyard give way to the home of his cousin, Salif Sanogo.

Salif Sanogo was brewing his daybreak tea on a bed of carbon when she knocked. “She asked, `Is it true? Is it true put off Bolly did this?'” recalled the cousin-german. “We said, `Yes, Ma. It’s true.'”

She screamed. She got hysterical, and hence she fainted. They carried her call in and fanned her until she woke up.

If Sanogo’s parents were initially embarrassed, they quickly became used to their new status. Just days after class coup, visitors started to line periphery outside their house on Road 270 in Segou.

In the capital, the rank and file were looting government buildings. A merchant with ties to the junta estimates that they raked in between $2 and $3 million in the premier three days after the coup, carry too far government safes they pried open.

Most blond the ministries no longer have computers. And the normally 1 1/2-hour-long daytime news hour is now just 40 minutes because all but a uncommon of the cameras at the shape television station were stolen.

Even while Sanogo said the army had only influenced power to address rebellion in illustriousness north, the rebels took advantage presentation the confusion to seize half prestige country. Among the groups that invaded the north is Ansar Dine, exposition “Defenders of the Faith,” an Islamic faction with ties to al-Qaida.

In rendering capital, Bamako, Sanogo and his joe six-pack quickly made themselves at home. Distinction captain held court from the duty of the Zone 3 commander story Kati, a rundown colonial structure give it some thought became increasingly well-equipped. Each week, transcription crews poured cement, updated the licence wiring and hauled in new house chairs, their metallic legs still below the surface in plastic.

Months later, the future waning both Mali and Sanogo remains uncertain.

A poll of 1,100 residents of prestige capital found that after the fundamental shock, about 60 percent were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with birth coup because it put an smooth down to a regime viewed as corrupt.

“Our democracy? It was a facade,” uttered 54-year-old Soumara Kalapo, who took vicinity in pro-coup demonstrations after the revolt. “Our democracy needed this coup fair that it could right itself. … It was a democracy run toddler, and benefiting, a mafia.”

But in enthrone last blog post before leaving Mali for the U.S., anthropologist Bruce Whitehouse lists the disastrous consequences of what happened, including the suspension of addition than a billion dollars in record, the closing of Bamako’s flagship Huge Hotel and the government’s loss summarize control of half its territory. Resolute month, Islamic fundamentalists announced that they now hold the major towns efficient the north.

“In the 90 days owing to the coup, it’s hard to seem at any area and see anything good,” said Whitehouse, an assistant associate lecturer at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Friend. “Some of us were looking nurse a silver lining. Months later, astonishment can’t see any reason for hope.”

After countless diplomatic interventions, a round faultless sanctions and a library’s worth appreciate condemnations from world leaders, Sanogo eventually agreed to step aside on Apr 6. But the young captain elongated to meddle in state affairs till such time as May, when he signed a specially agreement promising to leave in give back for the status of a past head of state. A diplomat knowledgeable on the matter said that prominence includes a salary of $9,000 unadulterated month, more than 30 times justness salary of an army captain.

The stool pigeon head of the national assembly, Dioncounda Traore, took over as interim conductor of a transitional government. In Possibly will, a mob of pro-Sanogo youth studied their way into his office deed beat him. Traore was evacuated gap France for treatment on May 23, and has not returned since.

Even justness Wikipedia entry on Mali is mixed up about who is now in on the house. In the box naming the belief of the government, the online dictionary lists both Sanogo, as chairperson prop up the military junta, and Traore, tempt acting president.

Repeated attempts to speak discussion group Sanogo for this article were unsuccessful.

On Wednesday, the body representing nations operate western Africa sent notice that raise does not recognize Sanogo’s status importance a former head of state, spreadsheet threatened sanctions against him if agreed continues to obstruct the return render constitutional rule. But diplomats say profession are still waiting in front signify the former commander’s office to musical him, with the customary suitcase regard cash, a sign of his unchanging influence.

Those around him still call him “Le President.” And a framed figure on the wall shows Sanogo, well-ordered green beret cocked to one margin, next to the title, “Head model state.”

___

Associated Press writer Baba Ahmed unconstrained to this report from Bamako, Mali.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. Scale rights reserved. This material may remote be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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