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Tag: Mali

  • Mali withdraws from the regional anti-jihadist force G5 Sahel

    Mali’s junta announced Sunday that it will quit a West African anti-jihadist force after it was blocked from assuming the presidency of the regional group.

    The country’s departure from the G5 Sahel security force deepens its isolation after its neighbours hit it with sanctions in January over perceived foot-dragging in restoring civilian rule.

    Mali’s diplomatic relations with western allies, including former colonial power France, have also deteriorated, especially over its recent rapprochement with Russia.

    Earlier this month, UN chief Antonio Guterres said political instability and human rights violations in Mali and Burkina Faso were undermining the Sahel’s anti-jihadist operations, and called for returning power to civilians as soon as possible.

    But Mali’s junta claims it is a victim of politicking.

    “The government of Mali is deciding to withdraw from all the organs and bodies of the G5 Sahel, including the joint force” fighting the jihadists, Bamako announced in a statement.

    “The opposition of some G5 Sahel member states to Mali’s presidency is linked to manoeuvres by a state outside the region aiming desperately to isolate Mali,” it added, without naming that country.

    The G5 Sahel, which also includes Mauritania, Chad, Burkina and Niger, launched in 2014, with an anti-jihadist force added in 2017.

    The group’s heads of states were supposed to assemble in Bamako in February to see Mali assume the G5 presidency, but nearly four months later, this meeting “has still not taken place”, the junta said.

    Mali is struggling under sanctions imposed by other West African countries over the military’s decision to retain power following multiple coups.

    The junta has opted for a two-year transition, while the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is pushing for 16 months maximum.

    The military initially seized control in August 2020 as the country’s decade-long jihadist insurgency inflicted a spiralling death toll and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

    A second de facto coup occurred in May 2021, when Assimi Goita pushed out an interim civilian government and took over the presidency.

    The violence gripping Mali since 2012 has involved attacks by jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State group, but also an assortment of self-declared militias and bandits.

    In a May 11 report to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Mali’s vague transition timeline was hampering the G5 anti-jihadist force’s ability to function.

    “Among other issues uncertainty over the transition timelines in Mali and the 23 January coup d’etat in Burkina Faso significantly slowed down the Joint Force’s operational tempo,” said the UN chief’s report, obtained by AFP.

    Source: Africa news

  • Germany to increase military presence in Mali as part of UN mission

    Germany is ready to increase its military contingent in Mali as part of the UN mission Minusma, a government spokeswoman announced Wednesday.

    “The current number of 1,100 soldiers has been increased by 300” to an authorized ceiling of 1,400, in particular to compensate for the departure of French forces, Christiane Hoffmann said at a regular press briefing.

    She was speaking at the end of a meeting of the Council of Ministers which endorsed the extension of the mandate until May 31, 2023.

    The German deputies must still give their green light to this decision.

    Until April, the German army was involved in two missions in Mali: 328 soldiers are participating in the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM), and about 1,100 in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (UNMISMA).

    But the European Union stopped training the army and the national guard in April. The training mission will resume elsewhere in the Sahel, however, “with an emphasis on Niger,” the spokeswoman said.

    The future of UNMISMA itself also does not appear to be fully guaranteed after the withdrawal of French forces, Hoffmann acknowledged.

    Several countries have undertaken to review their participation in the Minusma. The West has denounced the presence of mercenaries from the Russian group Wagner, who came to Mali at the call of the junta.

    In Mali, where violence by jihadist groups and militias has killed thousands since 2012, the military took power in two coups in August 2020 and May 2021.

    Source: AfricaNews

     

  • Akufo-Addo calls for twelve-month transition in Mali

    President Nana Akufo-Addo, says the French led troop withdrawal from Mali, required “new arrangements” in the regional fight against terrorism.

    Speaking to France 24 at the EU/AU summit in Brussels, President Akufo-Addo, who is the current Chairman of ECOWAS, demanded the departure of foreign mercenaries from the region and explained, that negotiations were underwater with the Malian junta on an election time table.

    He called on the junta’s proposal of a four year transitional period “clearly unacceptable” and said, a twelve month transition period would be “an acceptable framework.”

    President Akufo-Addo stressed that this was not an official ECOWAS position.

    He expressed optimism concerning Burkina Faso which experienced a a coup last month, about a swift transition to civilian rule , noting that the junta had moved very quickly to engage consultations.

    The ECOWAS Chairman cautioned the coup leaders in Guinea, which saw a military takeover last September, that new ECOWAS sanctions could be forth coming, if they did not provide a timetable for a transition to civilian rule as soon as possible.

    He stressed that military coups in West Africa were unacceptable saying, “we do not want this contagion to spread.”

    President Akufo-Addo added that the issue of third presidential terms, was also a matter of concern to the region.

    Source: GNA

  • Malian soldiers killed in jihadist attack

    Two Malian soldiers have been killed in an attack blamed on jihadists.

    The attack was on the Niafunké post in central Mali on Sunday morning.

    Five of the militants were killed during the attack.

    The Malian army, which has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency, has been carrying out an operation to destroy jihadist bases.

    Former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was ousted by the military in 2020 after being accused of failing in the fight against the insurgency.

    Source: bbc.com

  • 25-year-old Malian safely gives birth to nine babies in Morocco

    A Malian woman gave birth to nonuplets in Morocco on Tuesday and all nine babies are “doing well”, according to a statement from the Mali Health Ministry.

    Anadolu Agency reports that Halima Cisse, 25, delivered five girls and four boys.

    According to the evaluation of doctors both in Mali and Morocco, Cisse was initially expected to have septuplets but gave birth by cesarean section to nonuplets, shocking the doctors, who had not noticed another two siblings during ultrasounds.

    After a two-week medical stay at a hospital in the Malian capital Bamako, the doctors requested specialist care for the rare case of Cisse.

    Nonuplets are extremely rare in medical practice.

    With additional files from Anadolou Agency

    Source: africa.cgtn.com

  • Mali names members of interim parliament as army cements control

    Mali’s interim government on Thursday announced the composition of a new legislative body for the West African country’s transition to civilian rule, with the military retaining a key role.

    Young army officers in the conflict-ridden Sahel state toppled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18 after weeks of anti-government protests.

    Under the threat of international sanctions, the officers between September and October handed power to an interim government, which is meant to rule for 18 months before staging elections.

    Coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita, who was made vice president of the interim government, was given veto power last month over the appointments to the 121-seat legislative body.

    The move was seen by critics of the military-dominated interim regime as strengthening army control.

    The final list for the new National Transitional Council was published by a decree from the interim president, Bah Ndaw, himself a retired army colonel.

    The list of appointments was read out late Thursday on national television. Members of the defense and security forces received 22 seats.

    The body will meet for the first time on Saturday and will elect its president.

    The opposition June 5 Movement, or M5, last month called for “resistance” after it was announced Goita would have the final say on the MPs.

    As interim vice president, Goita is in charge of security issues in a country that has struggled to quell a brutal militant insurgency since 2012.

    The transitional government’s mandate is meant to last for 18 months with a return to democratic civilian rule.

    The disagreements over the assembly’s composition threaten to derail plans for elections, national reconciliation and the fight against militants in the north of the country.

    Anger over the seemingly endless conflict, as well as over perceived corruption, contributed to the protests which culminated in Keita’s ouster.

    Source: africanews.com

  • ‘Soldier of democracy’: Mali buries former president Toumani Touré

    Mali held a state funeral on Tuesday for former president Amadou Toumani Toure, an emblematic figure who steered the troubled nation to free elections and led it for a decade before being ousted in a coup.

    Toure, sometimes called Mali’s “soldier of democracy,” died on November 10 at the age of 72 after he had been transferred to Turkey for medical care following heart surgery.

    A coffin draped in the national flag and borne by six soldiers was slowly carried into the centre of a square in the capital Mali for ceremonies attended by the leaders of the country’s latest putsch and by foreign dignitaries.

    “A great man has fallen,” the master of ceremonies declared.

    “It is an incalculable loss for Mali. He came bringing the breath of life, he leaves with the wind of hope.”

    Those in the VIP stand included Bah Ndaw, a former military officer who is currently president of Mali’s transitional government, and the vice president, Assimi Goita, who led the August 18 coup.

    Niger and Guinea-Bissau were represented by their prime ministers, and other countries in the region sent their envoys.

    Ceremonies were to conclude with a parade by troops and aircraft, according to the programme.

    Toure, a former soldier, first took charge of the country for a year in 1991.

    He helped overthrow the iron-fisted regime of Moussa Traore, who had been in power since 1968.

    He then took the helm of a transitional committee, exercising the duties of head of state and steering the country to elections.

    These were won in 1992 by Alpha Oumar Konare — the first democratically-chosen president in Mali’s post-independence history.

    Popularly known by his initials as ATT, Toure won presidential elections in 2002 and again in 2007.

    His presidency was abruptly curtailed in 2012 by rebel troops who accused Toure of failing to support their battle against Tuareg and jihadist insurgents in the north of the country.

    Toure fled to Senegal, only returning from exile in 2017.

    The chaos that followed his downfall wrecked Mali’s poorly-equipped and demoralised army.

    The jihadists swiftly overran the north of the country before being forced out in 2013 by French intervention.

    They regrouped and advanced into central Mali, a flashpoint region where they ignited ethnic conflict, and then headed into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

    Thousands have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

    Source: africanews.com

  • How Mali came to have its name

    As a result of the glorious place the ancient empire occupies in our understanding of the history of the continent, the name Mali is as unforgettable as it is revered.

    The tales of yore, one involving the man believed to be the richest in the Middle Ages, Mansa Musa, have been a source of pride for people of African descent for so long. The ancient Mali empire allows a case to be made for an unbreaking civilization of African peoples which is usually started from the time of the ancient Egyptians.

    Modern Mali is an area that was one of the territories of the ancient empire. According to archaeologists, that region, south of the Sahel, has been inhabited since 5000 BC. By the third century in our common era, settlements with large populations had already been founded in the area.

    Since the areas south of the Sahel were more agriculture-friendly lands, population booms were almost certainly guaranteed. The towns that sprang up around the 3rd century could count on a stable supply of food and were also more secured as a result of not having to deal with the harshness of the Sahara desert.

    Stability and population growth came in handy when the Trans-Saharan trade, a commercial relationship that traveled from west Africa to the Middle East, started at the end of the 6th century. The trade in such commodities as ivory, gold and slaves, proved to be very profitable for the peoples of the Sahel.

    Around the 13th century, a Mande people who spoke Mandinka, grew prosperous enough to put together a formidable kingdom. One of the reasons for their unimpeded growth was that another mighty kingdom, Ghana, founded in modern Burkina Faso in the 10th century, had begun to collapse.

    The Mandinka-speaking people grew into an empire, which they called Mali. The meaning of the name of this empire has been settled, however, the motivation for calling the area Mali has proved daunting for researchers for nearly a century. However, certain theories have been propounded.

    Historian Philip Wolny believes that Mali comes from a Mandinka phrase meaning “where the king lives”. This purports to show that Mali was a small town that synecdochically became the name of the empire because of the importance the town later took on.

    Today, Mali refers to a proudly independent west African nation that holds promise even in the face of economic and political instabilities.

    Source: face2faceafrica.com

  • Black Stars players were poor against Mali – Frimpong Manso

    Former Asante Kotoko, coach Frimpong Manso has attributed Ghana’s defeat to Mali to poor performance on the part of the players.

    The Black Stars lost 3-0 to Mali in CK Akonnor’s first game in charge of the team.

    Hamari Toure, El Bilal Toure and Amadou Haidara scored the goals for the Malians to record this resounding victory over the Black Stars to get their revenge in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    Frimpong Manso defended CK Akonnor’s decision to leave some experienced players in the team as his recent call-up was dominated by a lot of debutants.

    “Its a formation the players are used to in their various clubs, so it is not something new to them. Some players are fading out so we need to bring new boys on board to fit it.”

    He blamed the team’s humiliating defeat on the part of the lateral defenders which he described as a recurring problem in the team.

    “Our lateral defenders did not impress me at all still the lateral defenders problem we used to complain about still exists”.

    Frimpong Manso has appealed to the public to support Ghana coach Akonnor in his subsequent matches.

    “Its too early to say that coach CK Akunnor is not capable of handling the national team, it’s just one match he has played.Let have patience for him and support him.”

    Ghana will take on Qatar in their next friendly game on Monday.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Mali’s military takes key posts in new government

    Mali’s transitional President, Bah Ndaw, has appointed a 25-member government in which senior military personnel have been given several key posts.

    According to a presidential decree read out on state television, the ministries of defence, security, territorial administration and national reconciliation are all to be led by colonels in the Malian military.

    Mr Ndaw – who had a career in the air force – was hand-picked to be president of the country by the coup leader.

    Following the subsequent appointment of a civilian prime minister, the West African regional block – Ecowas – is expected to soon lift the sanctions it imposed after August’s coup.

    Col Sadio Camara, one of the leaders of the junta, will become the minister of defence, while the spokesman for the military junta, Col-Maj Ismaël Wagué, will be in charge of national reconciliation.

    Some significant posts also went to civilians with the former prosecutor, Mohamed Sidda Dicko, heading the justice department.

    Only four posts were given to women and just two posts to members of the opposition, M5, the group that led protests against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta leading to his ouster by the military.

    Source: bbc.com

  • ECOWAS hints at sanctions removal – Mali presidency

    The West African regional bloc Ecowas has “hinted” that sanctions against Mali “could soon be lifted”, a tweet from the office of Mali’s interim president says.

    Ecowas imposed the punitive measures after the military overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in August.

    It had demanded the resumption of civilian rule, but despite a civilian president, Bah Ndaw, and prime minister, Moctar Ouane, being appointed, the sanctions are still in place.

    Earlier this week, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said there were still some “grey areas” that needed to be worked out before relations could return to normal.

    For instance, Mali’s new vice-president is the former junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita, and Ecowas wants to make sure that he cannot become president.

    Mr Ndaw is a former military officer and defence minister.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali’s ex-defence minister named interim leader

    Mali’s former Defence Minister Bah Ndaw has been appointed interim president while coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita will serve as his deputy, state television has announced.

    Mali’s junta has been under intense pressure from West African leaders to return power to civilians following the coup that overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta more than a month ago.

    Mr Ndaw is a retired colonel-major who served as Mr Keïta’s defence minister.

    West African leaders insisted last week that a civilian be appointed interim president, while signalling that they would accept a soldier as deputy leader, during an 18-month-long transition that would end with elections.

    It is not yet clear if Mr Ndaw will be accept by Ecowas, or by the opposition parties.

    Source: bbc.com

  • President Akufo-Addo wants an end to the Malian political crises

    Presidemt Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Chairman of ECOWAS, says there was need to bring finality to the upheaval in Mali.

    “That country can no longer afford any delay in putting a responsible government in place following the events of 18th of August. The circumstances in Malii today require that closure be brought to the matter now,” he said.

    The President was addressing a meeting convened by him at the Peduase Presidential Lodge to resolve the political stalemate in Mali.

    He said it was his belief that a face to face meeting with between the representatives of the ECOWAS Community and the military leaders in Bamako provided the best opportunity to find a resolution to the situation.

    He said terrorist were taking advantage of the situation in Mali to flex their muscles even more and thanked the military leader for responding positively to his invitation to the meeting.

    The ECOWAS Chair reminded the meeting that today was the day for the military rulers to put in place a government which should respond to the criteria set in August by the bloc.

    He said it was unfortunate that the deadline had not been met, but thanked the Malian military rulers for allowing Mr Keita to leave the country to seek medical attention in the United Arab Emirates.

    Mali, a country of 20 million people, has been unstable politically since 2012 when soldiers opposed to the response by the government to the separatist insurgency by Tuareg rebels in the country’s north, staged a coup d’etat.

    Since then, the political unrest in that country has served as a magnet for al-Qaeda and ISIL-linked groups, who have launched attacks on other West African nations from there, drawing concerns from the 15-member regional bloc.

    The recent unrest in the country follows the worsening security situation created by extremist Islamic groups who have leveraged the Tuareg insurgency and local militia that have banded to quell the chaos.

    Mali’s leader, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita whose reelection in 2018 was marred by low turnout and allegations of fraud further ignited deep resentment for his government.

    He has also been accused of mismanaging the economy and the ongoing insurgency in the north coupled with allegations of corruption.

    Since June 2020, numerous protests have been staged for Keita’s resignation, leading to elements of the Malian Armed Forces staging a coup on August 18 2020, forcing the 75 year old leader to resign and dissolve his government, with the Junta promising new elections within a reasonable timeline.

    The situation was strongly condemned by the international community including the United Nations, the African Union, as well as ECOWAS, who urged the soldier to return to barracks, release immediately Keita who had been held since his deposition.

    ECOWAS further imposed sanctions on Mali and asked neighbouring states to close their land and air borders with that country.

    It also gave the military Junta a deadline of September 15 to appoint a new civilian President and Prime Minister.

    The Peduase meeting, the first official assigment of President Akufo-Addo after assuming the position as Chairman of the Commission, will consolidate all the mediation efforts by the bloc to return Mali to constitutional rule and prevent further deterioration of the political situation there.

    Source: GNA

  • Mali begins national talks ahead of transition deadline

    A three-day national consultation on the make-up of Mali’s transitional government begins on Thursday in the capital, Bamako.

    The talks come ahead of a deadline given by West African leaders for the appointment of civilian leaders by 15 September.

    This follows consultative meetings held last weekend to agree on the “terms of reference” for Thursday’s talks.

    Pressure is mounting on the military rulers, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), to set up a civilian-led transitional government following Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s ouster on 18 August.

    Senior junta officials led by Colonel Assimi Goita have been reaching out to various key personalities in an effort to boost their credibility, support their base and improve their public image.

    Col Goita met two former Presidents, Dioncounda Traore and Amadou Toumani Toure, who have a history of leading transitions, and the influential High Islamic Council of Mali.

    The 5 June Movement – Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP), which galvanised the nation into pressing Mr Keïta to leave, has reiterated its call for “a civilian political transition, led by a civilian!”.

    Meanwhile, a team of experts on Wednesday submitted its work, a roadmap and a charter, to the junta. The two documents will be the basis for this week’s consultations.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali junta given a week to appoint civilian leader

    The military junta that ousted Mali’s president has been given until 15 September to appoint a civilian leader to lead the transition.

    Leaders from the West African bloc, Ecowas, said the proposed civilian president and prime minister would lead the country to a fresh election.

    The junta is yet to respond to the announcement made on Monday during a summit attended by eight heads of state in Niamey, the capital of Niger.

    Ecowas wants the transition to be done within a year, but the junta has in the past said it prefers “a reasonable time” and suggested at least two years.

    The military junta has been holding transition talks with political leaders.

    The ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta flew to the United Arab Emirates for treatment over the weekend after a mini-stroke.

    He was detained by the junta and resigned on 18 August after months of mass protests.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali coup leaders ‘want power for three years’

    West African mediators say the leaders of last week’s coup in Mali want to stay in power for a three-year transition period.

    But the Ecowas team say they told the coup leaders that an interim government – headed by a civilian or retired military officer – should last for a year at the most.

    The mediation team was led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

    It is not yet clear if the issuing of sanctions and suspensions will have any impact on the coup leaders who initially said they were not interested in power.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali faces more isolation over coup

    Image caption: Col Ismaël Wagué (pictured) has made most of the announcements on behalf of the military

    The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) has suspended Mali from its membership, the latest body to take action following last week’s overthrow of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s government by the military.

    The decision, by the body that represents countries where people speak French, comes days after the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) – which also suspended Mali from its membership – held unsuccessful talks with the military junta over a return to democratic rule.

    The coup leaders have said they were not interested in holding power and would hold fresh elections within a “reasonable time”.

    A demand by African heads of state to reinstate former President Keïta is now off the table after he withdrew interest to return as leader.

    The OIF has said it will send its own delegation to Mali in a matter of days.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali coup: No deal on transitional government

    Talks in Mali aimed at resolving the political situation in the aftermath of last week’s coup have ended without agreement.

    West African leaders have said that the deposed President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, should be reinstated.

    But envoys from regional body Ecowas failed to convince Mali’s military leaders that this was the way forward.

    Mr Keïta faced huge street protests before his overthrow and many in Mali have welcomed his removal.

    Military spokesman Col Ismael Wague is quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying after the talks ended that the final decision on any interim administration would be made by Malians.

    But the idea that Mr Keïta could return to power may have been scuppered by the man himself, AFP news agency reports.

    It quotes separate statements from the two sides saying that the president, who has been in detention since the coup last Tuesday, no longer wished to return to office. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Many in Lai celebrated the coup calling it a “victory”

    Many in Lai celebrated the coup calling it a “victory”

    The mediation team – led by Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan – will now report to regional heads of state on the progress made, Col Wague is quoted as saying.

    The talks began with a brief session on Saturday and then continued through both Sunday and Monday.

    At the end of Sunday’s session Mr Jonathan said: “We have reached a number of agreements but we have not reached agreement on all the issues.”

    Last week, thousands took to the streets of the capital, Bamako, to celebrate the coup, which sparked global condemnation.

    Mr Keïta won a second term in elections in 2018, but since June has faced large demonstrations over corruption, mismanagement of the economy and disputed legislative elections.

    There has also been anger among troops about pay and the conflict with militant jihadists in the north of the country, which has seen scores of soldiers killed in the past year.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali coup: Thousands take to Bamako streets to celebrate

    Thousands have taken to the streets of Mali’s capital to celebrate the coup against Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

    Coup leaders arrested Mr Keïta on Tuesday and forced him to resign, sparking global condemnation.

    But Mr Keïta was facing huge street protests before his arrest and many in Mali have welcomed his removal.

    Thousands gathered in Bamako’s Independence Square to the sound of vuvuzelas, with many declaring victory over the former president.

    “I am overjoyed, we won. We came here to thank all the people of Mali because it is the victory of the people,” Mariam Cissé, an opposition supporter, told the AFP news agency.

    “IBK has failed,” said retired soldier Ousmane Diallo, using a common reference to the ousted president by his initials. “The people are victorious.”

    However, he cautioned, “the military should not be thinking now that they can stay in power”.

    West African leaders have called for Mr Keïta to be reinstated and the UN says all those detained should be freed.

    But coup leaders say they are talking to opposition parties about appointing a transitional president, who could be civilian or military.

    Mali has several jihadi groups in its northern deserts and there are fears they could take advantage of the coup.

    They did so following the previous military takeover in 2012.

    The coup leaders have promised to respect international agreements on fighting jihadists. Thousands of French, African and UN troops are based in the country to tackle the militants.

    In another development, an opposition leader kidnapped by militants in March ahead of disputed elections has written letters to his family, says the International Committee of the Red Cross. This is the first contact they have had since Soumaïla Cissé was seized in a case that shocked the country, reports the AFP news agency.

    Mr Keïta won a second term in elections in 2018, but since June has faced huge street protests over corruption, mismanagement of the economy and disputed legislative elections.

    There has also been anger among troops about pay and the conflict with jihadists, which has seen scores of soldiers killed in the past year.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali finance minister released by military junta

    Mali’s Finance Minister Abdoulaye Daffe and another top official have been released by the military junta that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

    The minister was among those detained after the military coup on Tuesday.

    Sabane Mahalmoudou, who worked for the president was among those arrested, and has been released alongside Mr Daffe.

    The military junta announced that land and air borders would be reopened on Friday.

    They also said they are in contact with opposition groups about starting the process of appointing a transitional president.

    West African leaders have continued to call for President Keïta to be reinstated immediately.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali president ‘seized by mutinying soldiers’

    Multiple reports suggest Malian President Ibrahim Boubakar Keïta has been arrested by mutinying soldiers.

    Their actions began with gunfire inside a key military base, some 15km (nine miles) from the capital, Bamako, on Tuesday morning.

    In the centre of Bamako, young men looted a government-owned building and set it on fire.

    The mutiny has been condemned by regional group Ecowas and former colonial power France.

    The unrest coincides with calls for more protests to demand that the president resign.

    Mr Keita won a second term in elections in 2018, but there is widespread anger over corruption, the mismanagement of the economy and the worsening security situation with jihadist and communal violence on the increase.

    It is not yet clear how many soldiers have taken part in the mutiny. Some reports say it was fuelled by a pay dispute.

    The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) urged the mutineers to return to barracks.

    “This mutiny comes at a time when, for several months now, Ecowas has been taking initiatives and conducting mediation efforts with all the Malian parties,” its statement said.

    France’s Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said France condemned “in the strongest terms this serious event” and he too urged soldiers to return to barracks.

    France has troops in the West African state to fight militant Islamists.

    Footage from the AFP news agency shows a building owned by the justice ministry in Bamako ablaze.

    Earlier on Tuesday, the president’s son, Karim Keïta, dismissed as false reports that he was arrested by troops.

    In recent months huge crowds let by populist imam Mahmoud Dicko have been calling on President Keïta to step down.

    Much smaller crowds reportedly gathered in the capital on Tuesday in support of the soldiers.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Soldiers seize Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta

    Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has been arrested by mutinying soldiers, a government spokesman has confirmed to the BBC.

    Prime Minister Boubou Cissé has also been arrested, despite earlier appeals for “brotherly dialogue”.

    The apparent coup attempt in the West African nation began with gunfire at a key military camp near the capital, Bamako, on Tuesday morning.

    In the city young men set a government-owned building on fire.

    It comes hours after disgruntled junior officers detained commanders and took control of the Kati camp, about 15km (nine miles) from Bamako.

    The mutiny has been condemned by regional group Ecowas, the African Union and former colonial power France.

    The unrest coincides with calls for more protests to demand that the president resign.

    What do we know about the mutiny?
    It is led by Col Malick Diaw – deputy head of the Kati camp – and another commander, Gen Sadio Camara, BBC Afrique’s Abdoul Ba in Bamako reports.

    After taking over the camp, the mutineers marched on the capital.

    In the afternoon they stormed Mr Keïta’s residence and arrested the president and his prime minister – who were both there.

    The reason for the move is unclear, as is the number soldiers taking part in the mutiny. Some reports say it was fuelled by a pay dispute.

    Kati camp was also the focus of a mutiny in 2012 by soldiers angry at the inability of the senior commanders to stop jihadists and Tuareg rebels taking control of northern Mali.

    Footage from AFP news agency showed a building owned by the justice ministry in Bamako ablaze on Tuesday.

    Why is the president unpopular?
    Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta won a second term in elections in 2018, but there is widespread anger over corruption, the mismanagement of the economy and the worsening security situation with jihadist and communal violence on the increase.

    In recent months huge crowds led by populist imam Mahmoud Dicko have been calling on President Keïta to step down.

    Much smaller crowds reportedly gathered in the capital on Tuesday in support of the soldiers.

    What has the reaction been?
    The chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said in a tweet that he “emphatically condemns” the arrests of President Keïta and his prime minister.

    The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) urged the mutineers to return to barracks.

    “This mutiny comes at a time when, for several months now, Ecowas has been taking initiatives and conducting mediation efforts with all the Malian parties,” its statement said.

    France’s Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian also condemned “in the strongest terms this serious event” and he too urged soldiers to return to barracks.

    Earlier the French embassy in Bamako posted a tweet “strongly” advising people to stay at home. France has troops in Mali to fight militant Islamists.

    Source: The BBC

  • Gunfire heard in Mali’s military base

    A military spokesman in Mali has confirmed that shots have been fired inside an army base near the capital, Bamako.

    The Norwegian embassy says it has received information that troops are on their way to the capital and the French embassy has advised people to stay at home.

    It comes as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta is under increased pressure to step down in the face of large opposition protests.

    There is growing anger in the country due to the worsening security situation with jihadist and communal violence on the increase.

    People are also complaining about the level of corruption and the mismanagement of the economy.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali swears in new Constitutional Court judges

    Mali’s embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has attended a swearing-in ceremony for new Constitutional Court judges, appointed last week in an attempt to end a deepening political crisis in the country.

    The 75-year-old president, wearing a protective face mask and visor, had the nine new judges – six men and three women – pledge to conduct themselves as “worthy and loyal” judges.

    Diplomats and prominent members of the country’s civilian society were also present at the event in the capital, Bamako.

    The appointment of the judges was aimed at helping to resolve a weeks-long political impasse between Keita and an opposition protest movement which is determined to secure the president’s resignation.

    Although dissatisfaction over the country’s economic woes, corruption and worsening security situation has been simmering for a while, the spark for the current crisis was a decision by the Constitutional Court in April to overturn the results of parliamentary polls for 31 seats, in a move that saw candidates with Keita’s party get re-elected.

    The protests turned violent earlier this month when three days of clashes between security forces and protesters left 11 people dead, in the worst political strife Mali has seen in years.

    Heads of government from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stepped in, suggesting on July 27 the formation of a new unity government to include opposition members, while sticking by Keita.

    The ECOWAS bloc also urged the appointment of the new Constitutional Court judges to resolve a festering election dispute, among other measures.

    There is little indication that the new appointments will soothe tensions, however.

    Mali’s opposition June 5 Movement has repeatedly spurned the ECOWAS proposal and is expected to stage anti-Keita protests on Tuesday.

    In a sign that regional leaders are still engaged in resolving Mali’s political crisis, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan flew into Bamako on Monday to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

    Jonathan, who had led the ECOWAS mediation mission to Mali, was also due to meet opposition and civil society members on Monday, one of his staffers said.

    Anti-government protesters burn tires and barricade roads in the capital Bamako, Mali, Friday, July 10, 2020. Thousands marched Friday in Mali's capital in anti-government demonstrations urged by an o

    Opposition protesters have staged rallies in Bamako demanding Keita’s resignation [File:Baba Ahmed/AP Photo]

    Regional leaders are eager to avoid further instability in Mali, a country of some 20 million people that has been plagued by a conflict that began in 2012 and has since spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

    According to the United Nations, attacks grew fivefold between 2016 and 2020, with 4,000 people killed in the three countries last year, up from about 770 in 2016. The fighting has also forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and led to the closure of thousands of schools.

    In central Mali, a multitude of armed groups have been jockeying for control while exploiting the poverty of marginalised communities and inflaming tensions between ethnic groups.

    The presence of thousands of foreign troops has failed to stem the violence, while allegations of abuses and extrajudicial killings by Malian forces have perpetuated deep-rooted mistrust and enmity in parts of the country with little government presence otherwise.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Mali’s Keita appoints Constitutional Court judges to ease crisis

    Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita appointed nine judges to the Constitutional Court by decree as part of a compromise intended to ease the country’s months-long political crisis.

    The Sahel nation is in the grip of a political impasse between Keita and an increasingly strident opposition intent on securing his resignation.

    Last month, 11 people died over three days of unrest following an anti-Keita protest in the worst political strife Mali has seen in years.

    Heads of government from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stepped in, suggesting on July 27 the formation of a new unity government to include opposition members, while sticking by Keita.

    They also urged the appointment of new judges to the Constitutional Court to resolve a festering election dispute, among other measures.

    Much of Mali’s current tension was sparked in April, when the Constitutional Court tossed out 30 results from long-delayed parliamentary elections – a move that benefitted Keita’s party but triggered protests.

    Mali’s opposition June 5 Movement has repeatedly spurned the ECOWAS proposal and continues to demand the 75-year-old president’s resignation.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Mali MPs say they won’t resign amid political crisis

    Malian MPs whose elections have been contested have said they won’t resign as recommended by five heads of state from the regional block Ecowas who are trying to resolve the political crisis in the country.

    The MPs said the suggestion made by Ecowas violates the constitution, according to news agencies.

    The opposition has been demanding for the resignation of the president over corruption and some 31 legislators from his party whose elections were contested.

    Ecowas proposed that the government and the opposition form a unity government and that the MPs resign to resolve the crisis.

    President Ibrahim Keïta formed a crisis cabinet to champion the formation of unity government, but there was no word on the resignation of the MPs.

    The prime minister met popular imam Mahmoud Dicko and asked him to lead the opposition in joining the unity government.

    The imam told journalists that he had asked the prime minister to resign and that a second wave of protests would begin after the Muslim festival Eid-al-Adha.

    Source: BBC

  • Mali crisis mediation falters amid opposition defiance

    Mali’s opposition on Wednesday reiterated calls for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign, again spurning a compromise floated by West African leaders seeking to resolve a weeks-old political crisis.

    Using the acronym by which the president is known, prominent opposition leader Choguel Maiga told a news conference that “the only watchword remains the resignation of IBK”.

    He said a “second phase of civil disobedience” would occur three days after the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which the faithful will celebrate this week.

    Mahmoud Dicko, a Saudi-trained imam who is considered the figurehead of the opposition June 5 Movement, also told reporters that he had asked Prime Minister Boubou Cisse to step down.

    The announcements mark an entrenchment for the movement, which has not budged from urging Keita’s resignation despite several high-profile efforts to mediate the political impasse.

    The loose alliance of opposition groups and religious leaders has since last month has been channelling deep anger in Mali over a dire economy, perceived corruption and a brutal jihadist conflict.

    The disparate alliance of opposition groups and religious leaders had already on Tuesday dismissed a plan to break the impasse with Keita, which the 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS had put forward the previous day.

    West African leaders had suggested forming a new unity government to resolve an election dispute that has sparked outrage.

    By Monday evening, Keita had already appointed a stripped-down government with the intention to recruit opposition members.

    Cisse also visited Dicko on Tuesday evening to invite him to bring his June 5 Movement into a unity government, at which point the imam asked him to step down.

    “Mali is not a submissive or resigned people,” Dicko said on Wednesday. “The Malian nation must be restored by Malians for Malians and for Malians.”

    ‘Not going to resign

    Keita, in power since 2013, has come under increasing pressure to resolve Mali’s brutal eight-year-old jihadist revolt, and kickstart the slumping economy.

    But much of the Sahel nation’s current tension was sparked in April, when the Constitutional Court tossed out 30 results from long-delayed parliamentary elections – a move that benefited Keita’s party.

    Protests ratcheted up into a crisis on July 10 when an anti-Keita rally organised by the June 5 Movement turned violent.

    Eleven people died in clashes with security forces over several days, marking the bloodiest political unrest the former French colony has seen in years.

    But the June 5 Movement has continued to insist on Keita’s departure, despite two ECOWAS mediation missions which suggested a new unity government, and a resolution to the election quarrel.

    ECOWAS leaders confirmed that plan via video link on Monday – sticking by Keita – and backed a new vote for the 30 disputed seats in the election.

    But 29 of the 30 MPs whose election victories are in question refused to step down on Wednesday.

    “We’ve come together and we’re not going to resign. Our constitution is being violated by the ECOWAS declaration,” opposition MP Gougnon Coulibaly told reporters.

    Storm clouds

    Wednesday’s rejection marks at least the fourth time that Mali’s opposition has rebuffed efforts at compromise, raising the spectre of further unrest.

    The standoff with Keita has alarmed Mali’s international allies and neighbours, who are keen to avoid the country sliding into chaos.

    Far from the capital, much of the vast West African state lies outside government control and is overrun by jihadists and ethnic militias.

    Mali has been struggling to quell a Islamist revolt that first emerged in the country in 2012, then spread to the centre, and to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

    Thousands of civilians and soldiers have died in the conflict to date, and hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Mali opposition rejects deal to end crisis

    The opposition in Mali has rejected a compromise deal proposed by West African leaders to end the political crisis in the country.

    On Monday, presidents from the countries in the West African regional bloc Ecowas proposed a plan, which included resolving an election dispute by re-running polls for 31 MPs.

    But the plan stopped short of the opposition group M5-RFP’s main demand – that President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta resign.

    The country has been sliding into a political crisis for months.

    Huge protests started after the Constitutional Court threw out 31 results from parliamentary elections in April, which benefited President Keïta’s party.

    Tens of thousands of people have gone out on to the streets in a series of demonstrations – at least 11 protesters were killed earlier this month.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UN and AU condemn ‘use of force’ on Mali protesters

    The UN and the African Union have condemned the government of Mali for what they called its use of lethal force on protesters who are calling for the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.

    The protests, which started last month, turned violent on Friday with police reportedly firing gunshots towards demonstrators – some of whom had occupied government buildings in the capital, Bamako.

    In a statement, the UN mission in Mali, the African Union, the European Union and the West African regional grouping Ecowas all criticised the Malian authorities over its handling of the protests.

    They have also condemned vandalism by the protesters and called on all parties to exercise restraint.

    They urged the Malian government to release opposition leaders arrested over the weekend.

    The Malian authorities said at least four people were killed on Friday, but the opposition says eight more were killed by the police on Saturday during the street protests.

    The protesters want President Keïta to step down over what they describe as his government’s failure to end the long-running violence by militants linked to al-Qaeda and IS, as well as the economic crisis and the disputed legislative elections held in March.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Hundreds killed in Mali as security deteriorates – UN

    The United Nations’ human rights chief says 580 civilians have been killed so far this year in central Mali.

    Michelle Bachelet said the security situation was deteriorating, with multiple groups carrying out the killings.

    The UN says ethnic militias originally formed to protect the Fulani and Dogon communities are killing people, stealing cattle, looting granaries and burning homes.

    Some civilians are abducted and forced to join the militias.

    Islamist movements linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group are moving into central Mali, forced down from their bases in the north.

    The UN accuses the Malian military of carrying out 130 extrajudicial killings, mainly targeting members of the Fulani community.

    Violence is intensifying across the Sahel. There are fears that jihadist groups are moving southwards towards West Africa’s coastal states.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Thousands of protesters call for resignation of Mali president

    Thousands of protesters in Mali have gathered in the capital, Bamako, calling for the president to resign.

    Led by conservative imam Mahmoud Dicko, a coalition of opposition groups is demanding political and economic reform.

    They are seeking the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta because of escalating jihadist and inter-communal violence.

    The president had pledged to form a new government with opposition members.

    But despite negotiations between the two sides earlier this week, the protest has gone on as planned.

    On Friday, crowds gathered in Bamako’s Independence Square, chanting slogans, blowing plastic trumpets and holding placards with anti-government messages. A letter has also been sent to the president by the opposition groups demanding his resignation.

    Mr Dicko led prayers during the rally. Opposition politician Cheick Oumar Sissoko also delivered a speech calling for civil disobedience until Mr Keïta stepped down, according to Reuters news agency.

    It follows a similar rally held on 5 June, which was organised by the same coalition. The group have since adopted the name “Movement of 5 June – Rally of Patriotic Forces”.

    Mr Keïta, who is 75 and known as IBK, was first elected president of the west African nation in 2013. He secured a second five-year term in 2018.

    But he has come under mounting pressure in recent months due to Mali’s worsening economy, coronavirus, and a teachers’ strike. Political tensions have also arisen from a disputed legislative election in March, and allegations of corruption.

    Mali has been wracked by instability since 2012, when Islamist groups hijacked an insurrection by Tuareg separatists, seizing swathes of territory in the north. But violent attacks on government forces and UN peacekeepers continue.

    In recent days, the president has been pushed to make concessions to opposition groups, like raising the salaries of public teachers following a pay dispute.

    A delegation from the West African regional bloc Ecowas is also mediating between the two sides.

    But protesters say not enough is being done to curb corruption or fix the failing economy.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Mali’s abducted opposition leader ‘alive’

    Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has announced that opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, who was kidnapped by suspected Islamist militants in March, is alive, the AFP news agency reports.

    The president is quoted as saying in a speech that the government had proof that Mr Cissé was still alive.

    “We know who his captors are. And if it pleases God, he will come back soon,” he said.

    Mr Cissé, the leader of Union for the Republic and Democracy, was abducted on 25 March while on the campaign trail ahead of parliamentary elections.

    The Malian army has been battling militants in the north since 2012.

    Mali, along with other countries in the region, has faced an upsurge in Islamist militant violence. The military there is being supported by both a regional force and the French army.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Polls close in Mali amid coronavirus threat, security fears

    Polls have closed in Mali’s long-delayed parliamentary elections which were held despite concerns about security and the coronavirus pandemic.

    Sunday’s vote came hours after the violence-hit West African country announced its first coronavirus death and days after main opposition leader Soumaila Cisse was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.

    The vote was expected to see new MPs elected to the 147-seat National Assembly for the first time since 2013, when President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s Rally for Mali party won a substantial majority.

    Parliamentary elections were meant to take place again in late 2018 following Keita’s re-election, but the poll was postponed several times, largely due to security concerns.

    After Sunday’s first-round vote, a second round is scheduled for April 19.

    Late on Saturday, just hours before polls were scheduled to open at 08:00 GMT on Sunday, the country’s first coronavirus death was announced, with the number of infections rising to 18.

    Some 200,000 people displaced by the near-daily violence in Mali’s centre and north will not be able to vote, because “no mechanism has been established” for them to do so, a government official said.

    There were security fears about the vote even before the African country recorded its first coronavirus infection on Wednesday amid concerns that the impoverished state of some 19 million people – where large swaths of territory lie outside state control – is particularly exposed to a COVID-19 outbreak.

    “There’s a state of emergency both because of the threat of armed groups and the threat of coronavirus,” Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, who has reported extensively on Mali, said.

    “Still, Keita on Wednesday said these elections need to go ahead, that they were essential for Mali to head towards peace and national dialogue.”

    The government’s election spokesman, Amini Belko Maiga, has admitted that voting conditions were not ideal.

    “It’s true that we cannot say that everything is perfect, but we’re doing the maximum,” he said, referring to the threat of coronavirus. He added that hand-washing kits had been distributed in the countryside, while in the capital, Bamako, authorities would make masks and hand sanitisers available.

    ‘Difficult times’

    Casting a shadow over the vote is the fate of Cisse, who was kidnapped on Wednesday while campaigning in the centre of the country.

    The 70-year-old, who has been runner-up in three presidential elections, and several members of his team were abducted in an attack in which his bodyguard was killed.

    “They were kidnapped by an armed group, whose identity we do not know,” Cisse’s Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD) party spokesman, Demba Traore, said.

    He was “likely” being held by a group loyal to Fulani preacher Amadou Koufa, who leads a branch of the al-Qaeda-aligned Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), which is active in the Sahel, according to a security source and a local official.

    Cisse and his entourage were probably now “far from where they were abducted,” the security source told AFP news agency.

    The URD on Saturday urged its supporters to turn out in even greater numbers.

    “In these difficult times our country is going through, more than ever, the party’s activists are resolutely urged to redouble their efforts for a massive participation in the March 29, 2020 elections,” the country’s main opposition party said.

    However several other opposition parties called for the vote to be postponed due to coronavirus fears.

    “What is at stake in this parliamentary election are ordinary matters such as education, healthcare, access to water and electricity,” Haque said. “But given the circumstances, it’s very difficult to tell whether people will come out and vote.”

    Hopes for peace

    The country has been plagued by conflict since 2012, when rebels captured much of the country’s arid north.

    Armed groups overtook the rebels in the north and swept into the country’s centre, accelerating a conflict which has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians.

    Despite the numerous difficulties, experts nonetheless hope that Sunday’s election will lead to reforms that may drag Mali out of its cycle of violence.

    In particular, the hope is that the new parliament will implement reforms from a peace agreement brokered between the Bamako government and several armed groups in Algiers in 2015.

    Implementation has been painfully slow, although this year saw the Malian army deploy units made up of both former rebels and regulars, one the provisions of the Algiers agreement.

    The pact also provides for the decentralization of governance in Mali, a demand of some of the rebel groups.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Attacks, ethnic massacres leave ghost villages in central Mali

    After years of ethnic massacres and unrelenting jihadist attacks, central Mali has been left a harrowed area of deserted villages and displaced people.

    An Islamist insurgency erupted in the north of the vast west African state in 2012, claiming thousands of military and civilian lives since.

    But the violence has since swept into the centre of the country – as well as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger – inflaming ethnic tensions along the way.

    Central Mali is now prey to tit-for-tat killings and routine jihadist attacks. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.

    Mamadou Lamine Diop, who works in central Mali for the United Nations’ refugee arm, said the situation “has not stopped deteriorating”.

    Armed groups coming from the north found fertile soil in an area riven by long-running land disputes, often between herders and farmers.

    A jihadist group active in the region led by radical Fulani preacher Amadou Koufa has also increased suspicion of his ethnic group.

    In response to jihadists, traditional Dogon hunters have formed so-called self-defence groups, adding to the tension.

    200 000 people displaced

    “Every day, word gets back to us of an extremely serious incident,” Diop said, explaining that people are displaced after each one.

    Many Fulani villages now lie empty.

    “These are ghost villages. Only huts are left; nothing else. Everyone has gone,” said a humanitarian worker who requested anonymity.

    The displaced congregate in central Mali’s large towns, such as Mopti and Sevare. Out of 200 000 people displaced by Mali’s conflict, half are located in the country’s centre.

    Boureima Barry, 56, is one such displaced person. He fled his village, several kilometers from the town of Bandiagara.

    He told AFP he was among the first to leave in April last year. Now everyone is gone.

    “It’s been a year and the situation hasn’t improved,” he said from a tent in a makeshift displaced persons’ camp in a football stadium in Sevare.

    ‘Protection for civilians is not there’

    Alioune Tine, an independent expert sent to central Mali by the United Nations in late February, said that neither Malian troops nor UN peacekeepers were able to protect civilians.

    The UN has some 13 000 people stationed in Mali as part of its MINUSMA peacekeeping mission in the country.

    Tine pointed to the mostly Fulani village of Ogossagou near the Burkina Faso border, where some 30 people were killed last month.

    About 160 people were killed in an attack on the same village in March last year.

    “That means that protection for civilians is not there,” he said.

    People who have not yet fled their villages also face deep food insecurity problems, according to the United Nations.

    The governor of Mopti, Abdoulaye Cisse, said the general situation in central Mali was worrying but “not insurmountable,” pointing to locally brokered ceasefires as bright spots.

    ‘Thousands of deaths’

    “Whatever we do, one day or another, we will sit down,” Cisse said, referring to talks with militant groups.

    “Why wait until there are thousands of deaths to go back to negotiations,” the governor added.

    The sentiment is now shared at the highest levels of government in Mali.

    Last month, the government admitted for the first time that it was trying to establish talks with militant groups – an option it had long ruled out.

    “It is possible to negotiate something with Amadou Koufa,” said a local security official who declined to be named, referring to the radical Fulani preacher.

    “The local roots of Koufa’s group make dialogue possible,” the official added.

    The al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist alliance of which Koufa’s group is a member said last week that it was open to the possibility of talks.

    Source: sierraleonetimes.com

  • Spate of violence leaves at least 30 dead in Mali

    At least 30 people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in three separate incidents in Mali.

    Twenty-one were killed when gunmen attacked a village in central Mali, burning houses, crops and livestock.

    A group of eight soldiers also died in an ambush, while another was killed during an attack on a military camp in the Gao region.

    Mali has been blighted by instability since 2012 when an Islamist rebellion broke out in the north.

    The village of Ogossagou, where one of Friday’s attacks took place, is mostly home to Fulanis, a largely-Muslim ethnic group who traditionally work as herders.

    Other ethnic groups in Mali – including the Dogon community – accuse the Fulani of being linked to jihadi groups operating across the Sahel region.

    These accusations have fuelled a spate of inter-ethnic violence in recent years.

    Last March, 160 people were killed another attack at Ogossagou, which authorities blamed it on a Dogon militia.

    The attack led to several protests over perceived inaction by the government, and Mali’s prime minster at the time, Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, later resigned.

    No one has claimed responsibility for the latest incident, but village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told local media that the gunmen struck several hours after government troops had withdrawn from the area.

    In a separate incident, Malian security forces said on Twitter that they had sustained “material damage” during an ambush in the village of Bintia, which killed eight soldiers.

    A ninth soldier was killed in another attack at a camp in Mondoro, which is regularly targeted by militants.

    Media captionWhat is behind Mali’s massacres?

     

    Since 2012, Malian forces managed to regain control large swathes of territory taken by militants with assistance help from France, which has 4,500 troops deployed in the region. The UN has 13,000 peacekeeping troops in Mali.

    But thousands of lives have been lost as Mali struggles to contain the violence, which has spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

    Combating militants in the Sahel region is seen as important for maintaining security further afield, including Europe.

    France’s Foreign Minister, Florence Parly, travelled to Washington last month in the hopes of persuading American to continue its logistical backing – drones, intelligence and transport – which she said was crucial to the French operation.

    SOurce: BBC

  • Mali musician Ballake Sissoko claims US customs broke instrument

    Malian musician Ballake Sissoko claims his musical instrument was broken during a US customs check.

    Sissoko plays the kora, a traditional West African musical instrument similar to a harp.

    He says when he returned to Paris on 4 February following a US tour, he opened up the instrument’s case to find it in pieces.

    Inside the case, there was a leaflet from US customs claiming they had opened the case for inspection.

    However, it is unclear when exactly the musical instrument was broken.

    US customs officials have yet to reply to the BBC’s request for comment.

    ‘Impossible to replace’

    Sissoko has performed in concerts around the world including at the BBC Proms in London.

    Images posted to his Facebook page show the musical instrument in pieces. A statement on the page claims the neck of the kora has been removed.

    “The strings, bridge and entire, delicate and complex sound system of amplification has been taken apart.

    “Even if all the components that have been disassembled were intact, it takes weeks before a kora of this calibre can return to its previous state of resonance. These kinds of custom-made koras are simply impossible to replace,” the statement said.

    “In Mali, the jihadists threaten to destroy musical instruments, cut the tongues out of singers, and silence Mali’s great musical heritage. And yet, ironically, it is the USA customs that have in their own way managed to do this,” the statement added.

    Sissoko claims he checked in the instrument in a hard case at the airport in New York and only inspected it when he arrived back at his apartment in Paris.

    The leaflet from Transport Security Authority (TSA) said a security agent had inspected the case and apologised for any inconvenience caused.

    A number of Sissoko’s supporters took to social media to voice their support for the musician and demand an apology from US customs.

    Source: www.bbc.com

  • Mali army loses 24 soldiers in Niger border attack

    Twenty-four soldiers have been killed in an attack by militants in eastern Mali, the country’s army has said.

    Another 29 were also injured during a joint operation between troops from Mali and Niger in the Gao border region.

    Mali’s army said 17 “terrorists” were killed and 100 suspects were being held in Tiloa, in Niger.

    It comes weeks after 54 troops were killed in another attack – one of the deadliest in the past decade.

    Read:Militants kill Mali soldiers in attack

    Details of Monday’s attack are unclear, and authorities have not identified what group the assailants belonged to.

    In its Twitter account, the Malian army posted images several burned-out motorcycles, and said 70 were destroyed during the incident.

    Mali has suffered violence since 2012 when Islamist militants exploited a Tuareg separatist uprising, seizing several key cities.

    With help from France, its former European ruler, Malian forces regained control of territory lost to jihadis.

    Read:U.N. keeps sanctions on persons blocking peace in Mali

    However security forces have been struggling to contain the threat from Islamist groups, some of which are linked to the so-called Islamic State or al-Qaeda. In recent months, Mali’s military has abandoned several outposts.

    Islamist violence has also spread to other countries in the region, fuelled by ethnic tensions.

    According to the UN, more than 1,500 civilians have been killed in Mali and Burkina Faso since January, with millions more in need of humanitarian assistance.

    A 15,00-strong UN peacekeeping force is currently stationed in Mali.

    Read:Mali leader sacks generals, disbands vigilantes after massacre

    The country is also a member of the G5 Sahel, a counter-insurgency force comprised of troops from Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad.

    However efforts by the G5 have been hampered by insufficient funding, training and equipment.

    West African leaders have pledged $1bn (£805m) over the next five years to combat Islamist militancy in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron has also said more military resources will be sent to Mali from 2020.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Militants kill Mali soldiers in attack

    The government of Mali says at least 25 soldiers have been killed and about 60 are missing in attacks by suspected jihadists on two military posts near the border with Burkina Faso.

    As intense fighting continued, the government said it had also lost significant equipment following the Tuesday attack.

    Read:U.N. keeps sanctions on persons blocking peace in Mali

    In response Malian troops, with air support, have begun a joint operation with forces from Burkina Faso.

    Jihadist violence and ethnic rivalries have caused conflict in Mali since 2012.

    Mali is part of a five nation anti-insurgency force operating in the Sahel. It includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania.

    Read:Mali leader sacks generals, disbands vigilantes after massacre

    The G5 Sahel, as it is called, is backed by a 3,000-strong French force.

    The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over escalating violence in the region, where civilian deaths increased four-fold between 2012 and 2018.

    Source: bbc.com