Mali: Former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita dies

Former President Ibrahim Bubakar Keita died Sunday in Bamako at the age of 76 after a long illness, a year and a half after being ousted by the army, which still defies part of the international community.

The presidency of “IBK” – the acronym for his name and the way many in Mali called him for short – began in 2013 and largely coincided with the quagmire in which the African country has been since 2012.

He was overthrown in August 2020 by the army, which, following a second coup in May 2021, now refers to the troubles that have accumulated in his day for their decision to remain in power for several more years.

“(S.s .: former) president (…) died (yesterday) morning at 09:00 (local time; 11:00 Greek time) at his home” in the capital, where he lived, excluded from public life, said a member of his family to the French Agency.

The information was later confirmed by other members of his family and environment. The cause of his death has not been clarified.

The death occurred “after a long illness”, said yesterday the transitional government of Sokel Kokala Maiga, who was the minister of IBK, before he became his opponent.

The transitional government said information about the funeral of the “prominent deceased” would be made public in a “later announcement”.

In an interview broadcast on state television on Saturday night, the prime minister sharply criticized the Keita presidency, which, according to him, led many citizens to rise up in the “dissolution” of the state, corruption and impunity. He also succeeded for a long time against France, with which IBK worked closely.

Referring to the former sovereign colonial power, without much effort to hide it, the prime minister accused “certain countries” of pushing West African states to impose harsh sanctions on Mali “in order to clear other accounts with the government” in Bamako.

SOURCE: AMPE

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Source From: Capital

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