Eleven opposition members in Mali were arrested as they met in the capital, Bamako after calling for the return of civilian rule in the West African nation, their coalition said on Friday.
The military seized power in 2020 and promised to arrange elections and hand over power to civilians by the end of March this year but have backtracked on their pledge and postponed elections indefinitely.
Those detained were part of a movement that signed a March declaration calling for the handover of power to civilians and were taken as they met at the home of a coalition official.
They are due to appear before a prosecutor on Friday.
They called for presidential elections to be called as soon as possible.
The military in Mali has consolidated it’s grip on power after suspending all political party activities and arranged a national dialogue that recommended the extension of the regime’s tenure for another three years.
The country has been tackling severe security challenges fuelled by attacks from insurgents and other armed groups, as well as a separatist struggle in the north.
