An attempted coup in Mali, Africa’s third-largest gold producer, threatens to derail presidential elections planned for February that’s meant to return the nation to civilian rule.

Mali’s President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were taken to military barracks outside the capital Bamako on Monday hours after a government reshuffle, according to the United Nations and other officials. The move comes after an Aug. 18 coup saw the ouster of former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and adds to the chaos in the West African country.

The top leadership were detained after the cabinet changes left out two members of the junta -- including Defense Minister Colonel Sadio Camara --who were behind the August coup. Instability in Mali could be exploited by Islamist insurgents in the north and center who’ve staged increasingly violent attacks in the region, despite the presence of a 15 000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force.

“We strongly condemn the coup attempt that took place following the announcement of the new cabinet,” the UN, US, France and others said in a joint statement. Mali’s international partners sought the immediate release of the country’s interim leadership, calling their arrests a “tentative coup” by mutinous soldiers.

The US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs called “for their immediate, unconditional release” in a tweet.

Mali’s interim leadership was arrested by “rebellious soldiers,” the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States said in a separate statement.

An Ecowas delegation was expected in Bamako on Tuesday to resume the transition process ahead of presidential elections in about nine months that are intended to return Mali to civilian rule.

Brigader-General Souleymane Doucoure, who replaced Camara as defense minister, was among those detained at the barracks, according to an adviser to the interim government.

“The crisis is a setback,” J Peter Pham, the former US Special Envoy for the Sahel, now with The Atlantic Council, said on Twitter. “The transitional set-up was a balance agreed by local stakeholders, endorsed by the African Union and Ecowas. One party can’t change terms and not expect a negative reaction.”

Mali produced 66.5 tonnes of gold in 2020, making it the third-largest producer of the metal in Africa, according to the Mali Mining and Petroleum Conference and Exhibition. Companies including Barrick Gold Corp and AngloGold Ashanti operate in the West African nation.