A/HRC/22/33 advantage of this situation, on 27 June 2012, MUJAO drove MNLA out of the city. By 18 November, Islamist movements controlled the north of the country as far as Douentza. D. Development of the political situation since 17 January 2012 11. After the defeat of the army in the north and frustration at the inability of the Government of President Amadou Toumani Touré (commonly known as “ATT”) to contain the rebellion, a group of soldiers staged a coup on the night of 21 and 22 March 2012, bringing an end to the democratic process, which included the presidential elections planned for 30 April 2012. The leaders of the coup, united under the name of the national committee for the recovery of democracy and the restoration of the State led by Captain Amadou Sanogo Haya, suspended the Constitution and postponed the elections indefinitely. The coup was unanimously condemned by the Security Council, ECOWAS and the African Union. Mali has since then been suspended from regional and subregional organizations, and bilateral partners have frozen their cooperation with the country. 12. On 6 April 2012, a framework agreement was concluded between ECOWAS, represented by the President of Burkina Faso, Mr. Blaise Compaoré, and the national committee that provided, inter alia, for the resignation of President Touré, the appointment of the current President of the National Assembly, Mr. Diouncounda Traoré, as President of the Republic, of Mr. Cheick Modibo Diarra as Prime Minister, and the adoption of an amnesty law for perpetrators of the coup. A few weeks later, on the night of 30 April and 1 May 2012, soldiers loyal to former President Touré allegedly attempted a counter-coup, which, according to a Malian official, caused the death of several dozen people, including civilians. 13. Against this background of mistrust and division at the highest levels of the State, protests led to a physical assault on President Traoré, on 21 May 2012. After a long convalescence in France, he returned to Mali in August 2012, President Traoré appointed a Government of national unity whose basic tasks were to regain control of the north and to organize elections. On 10 December 2012, on the orders of the former junta, Prime Minister Diarra was arrested and forced to resign in the morning of 11 December. On 12 December, the President appointed the Ombudsman, Mr. Diango Sissoko, as Prime Minister. E. Displacement of persons 14. On 1 December 2012, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that the total number of Malian refugees stood at 155,187, including 54,117 in Mauritania, 61,880 in Niger, 37,626 in Burkina Faso, 44 in Guinea and 20 in Togo. It is also estimated that 198,558 persons have been internally displaced.5 The refugee population of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania is composed mainly of Tuaregs, Arabs, Peul and Bella people, from the regions of Timbuktu, Gao, Kidal and Mopti. Some people from the northern areas have also sought refuge in Algeria, but their exact number has yet to be determined. F. Recurrent human rights violations problems 15. Since its independence, Mali has faced serious problems that must be taken into consideration in order to understand the current situation. These problems include a very 5 8 Ref. UNHCR, Mali Situation Update No. 13. GE.13-10067