Malian interim President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were put under arrest by military officers on Monday, drawing condemnation from the international community. Defense Minister Souleymane Doucore was also arrested, writes DW.

The leaders were reportedly taken to the Kati military base located near Mali’s capital, Bamako.

The arrests come just hours after two members of the military junta lost their positions in a cabinet reshuffle.

The UN, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the move and called for the leaders to be released. The "attempted coup" was also met with disapproval from the EU, US and UK, with the EU slamming the move as “kidnapping”.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by the arrest of N’Daw and Ouane.