A trial for alleged conspiracy against the government continued in Bamako (Mali's capital) on Thursday, with former presidential secretary-general Kalilou Doumbia testifying that he acted on the direct orders of transition president Bah N'Daw when he announced a cabinet reshuffle in May 2021 — the act that triggered the military's second coup. Doumbia, one of six co-defendants linked to N'Daw, also told the court he had been abducted and tortured after the coup, with security agents pressuring him not over any alleged plot but to hand over documents locked in a safe at the presidential palace. The trial was then suspended until Monday to allow the sole prosecution witness — a warrant officer who has been absent throughout proceedings — to testify, a delay defence lawyers condemned as a violation of their clients' rights.