Mali President Resigns Following His Detention by Mutinying Armed Forces Officers
On Tuesday morning, a group of officers from the Malian armed forces staged a mutiny, capturing the country’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and prime minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and reportedly taking control of the capital Bamako.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said on Tuesday night he was resigning and dissolving parliament and dismissing the government.
"I want no blood to be spilled to keep me in power", he said in a speech broadcast on state television.
"I would like at this precise moment, while thanking the Malian people for their support throughout these long years and the warmth of their affection, to tell you of my decision to relinquish my duties".
Earlier, ECOWAS suspended Mali from its decision-making bodies and all financial flows with the country and called for sanctions against "putschists and their partners and collaborators".
The president's resignation comes in the wake of the ongoing political crisis in the landlocked West African state, with supporters of the opposition 'June 5 Movement' taking to the streets to demand Keita's resignation starting earlier this summer.
Clashes on 11-12 July between protesters and security forces led to the deaths of 11 people, with over 120 reported injured.
The opposition accuses Keita of failing to deal with corruption and restore security in the country amid escalating jihadist and inter-communal violence and has criticized controversial legislative elections held in late March, which were reportedly accompanied by kidnappings and death threats against observers and local officials.
- Source : Sputniknews.com
