Mali president quits as protests spark revolt

Bloomberg

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resigned after being detained by a military junta that pledged to shepherd a democratic transition.
The coup capped weeks of protests demanding that he step down. Keita, 75, has faced opposition criticism for alleged corruption and nepotism within his administration, and the mishandling of an escalating extremist insurgency in the West African nation.
Keita appeared on national television to announce that he was dissolving his cabinet and parliament, and complying with soldiers’ demands that he quit. “I don’t want a single drop of blood to be shed to keep me in office,” he said.
Hours later, Colonel-Major Ismael Wague appeared on television to announce that the Comite National pour le Salut du Peuple, or National Committee for the Salvation of the People, has taken charge of the country. He appealed to civil society and political groups to help prepare for elections, without providing a timeline for when a vote will be held.
“The fight against corruption and good governance remain at the heart of what we seek,” Wague said. “To prevent the country from sliding into chaos, we will be responsible for the provision of social services.”
The Economic Community of West African States condemned the coup and called for the regional bloc’s forces to be on standby. It also sealed off the nation’s borders and suspended all trade.
French President Emmanuel Macron held talks about the crisis with his Nigerian, Ivorian and Senegalese counterparts and said he supported mediation by Ecowas. The regional bloc has intervened militarily in the past, sending troops to Gambia in 2017 to help end a political crisis in that country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned Keita’s overthrow, while African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said the continental body opposed the use of force to resolve the country’s political crisis.
The situation in Mali is reminiscent of the 2012 ouster of Keita’s predecessor, Amadou Toumani Toure, by junior officers angry about the lack of resources needed to fight Tuareg rebels in the north. The subsequent power vacuum was exploited by al-Qaeda-linked groups who seized control of the north.