(3 minutes read)
- Mali’s interim president Assimi Goita was attacked on Tuesday (Yesterday) by two armed men, one of whom wielded a knife, in the great mosque in the capital Bamako. His office said that president was safe and sound
- The attack took place while he was offering Eid al-Adha prayers at the Mosque
- Onlookers say that the president was taken soon from the Mosque by the security guards
Mali’s interim president Assimi Goita was attacked on Tuesday (Yesterday) by two armed men, one of whom wielded a knife, in the great mosque in the capital Bamako. His office said that the president was safe and sound. The attack took place while he was offering Eid al-Adha prayers at the Mosque. Onlookers say that the president was taken soon from the Mosque by the security guards
Reports indicate that Goita arrived at the military camp of Kati, outside the capital, where security has been reinforced. The shocking attack follows months of political turmoil in Mali. The country is also battling a jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. Goita was sworn into power in June, after leading the country’s second coup in less than a year.
France, which has thousands of troops stationed in the war-torn country, also suspended military cooperation with Mali. The former colonial power followed by announcing that it would wind down its 5,100-strong Barkhane force that has battled jihadists in the Sahel since 2013.
