Colonel Alpha Yaya Sangare was detained late Saturday, a day after a defence ministry statement denounced passages in his book, an anonymous military source said.

A member of Sangare's family confirmed his arrest to AFP.

Friday's defence ministry statement denounced passages in the book that alleged rights violations by the army "with the complicity of the military hierarchy".

The ministry denounced what it said were "false accusations" against the army.

In "Mali: The challenge of terrorism in Africa", published at the end of 2023, the colonel cites international rights organisations' reports on the army abuses of civilians during anti-terrorist operations.

A February 24 presentation of the book in Bamako appears to have caused a stir among the military regime that has run Mali since 2020.

Jihadist violence that started in northern Mali in 2012 spread to the centre of the country in 2015, when Katiba Macina -- an Al Qaeda-affiliated group -- was established, led by the Fulani preacher Amadou Kouffa.

Attacks by armed groups reached unprecedented levels in the centre of the country in the final months of 2023, according to humanitarian and security sources.

On February 1, UN rights chief Volker Turk reported what he said were "credible allegations that Malian armed forces accompanied by foreign military personnel summarily executed at least 25 people" in January.

Since the junta took power, they have turned away from former colonial power France and pivoted towards Russia, both politically and militarily.