Dozens of soldiers have been arrested in Mali accused of plotting to topple the country's military leaders, sources say.
The wave of arrests, which reportedly went on overnight and are expected to continue, reflect increased tensions within the military government, with reports that a jihadist insurgency in the north is gaining ground. The authorities have not commented on the arrests.
Initial reports indicated that Gen Abass Dembele, the former governor of the Mopti region and Gen Nema Sagara, one of the few women at the highest levels of the Malian army, were among those detained.
However, a source close to Gen Dembele told the BBC that neither of them had been arrested.
The source, who confirmed the ongoing arrests, told a BBC reporter in Bamako that he had just left Gen Dembele's house and he was "doing well".
