· Mali’s ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died on jan 16th at his home in Bamako, the capital, nearly 18 months after he was ousted from power in a military coup.
· The 76-year- former president of Mali had been battling health problems in recent years.
Mali’s ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died on jan 16th at his home in Bamako, the capital, nearly 18 months after he was ousted from power in a military coup. The 76-year- former president of Mali had been battling health problems in recent years.
Keita came to power in a landmark presidential election in 2013 that restored democracy after a 2012 coup. But only seven years later he was ousted by another military coup in August 2020.Soon after his release by the junta, his health started declining and he sought medical treatment in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
His death was announced by the state broadcaster ORTM, by Abdoulaye Diop, a former minister of foreign affairs, and by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. The country is in the midst of a deepening political crisis. The coup leader who ousted Keita has shown no immediate plans for a return to democracy as initially promised. Mali has come under harsh sanctions by ECOWAS supported by Western powers and the United Nations.
Mr. Keita is survived by four children and his wife, Aminata Maïga Keita.
