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STORY: Ousted Mali president Amadou Toumani Toure arrived on Thursday night (April 19) in neighboring Senegal after fleeing his palace during a military coup.
Senegal revealed this week that Toure been sheltering in its embassy in the Malian capital, Bamako. Toure fled his palace on March 22.
A Malian defense ministry source also confirmed that officials detained by the junta who were being held in the army town of Kati, just north of Bamako, had been released. All those held were seen as close to Toure, who was due to step down before an April 29 election.
The coup shattered Mali's reputation for stability in an otherwise turbulent region and the retreat of government forces in the north stoked fears that groups linked to al Qaeda and international criminals will take advantage of a security void.
Ousted President Toure had come under criticism abroad and at home for failing to tackle the growing insecurity in its largely desert north, an area larger than France.
