Mali president resigns after troops mutiny

Mali's president announces resignation after troops mutiny
File Photo: President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita/AFP

Bamako: Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation late Tuesday on state television, hours after mutinous soldiers had fired shots into the air outside his home before detaining him.

The dramatic development comes after more than two months of regular demonstrations calling for him to step down three years before his final term was due to end.

Speaking on national broadcaster ORTM, a distressed Keita wearing a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic said his resignation was effective immediately. A banner across the bottom of the television screen referred to him as the exiting president.

Mali's president announces resignation after troops mutiny
Armed members of the FAMA (Malian Armed Forces) are celebrated by the population as they parade at Independence Square in Bamako on August 18, 2020, after rebel troops seized Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse in a dramatic escalation of a months-long crisis Photo: AFP

Keita, who was democratically elected and re-elected, was left with few choices after the mutinous soldiers seized weapons from the armory in the garrison town of Kati and then advanced on the capital of Bamako.

Soldiers detained Mali's president and prime minister Tuesday after surrounding a residence and firing into the air in an apparent coup attempt after several months of demonstrations calling for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's ouster.

The soldiers moved freely through the streets of Bamako, making it increasingly clear that they were in control of the capital city. There was no immediate comment from the troops, who hailed from the same military barracks in Kati where an earlier coup originated more than eight years ago.

Mali's president announces resignation after troops mutiny
Malian soldiers parade as they arrive by military vehicle at Independence Square in Bamako on August 18, 2020. Photo: AFP

The upheaval unfolded months after disputed legislative elections, but Keita's support also tumbled amid criticism of his government's handling of an Islamic insurgency that has engulfed the country once praised as a model of democracy in the region.

The military has taken a beating over the past year from Islamic State and al-Qaida-linked groups. A wave of particularly deadly attacks in the north in 2019 prompted the government to close its most vulnerable outposts as part of a reorganisation aimed at stemming the losses.

Mali's president announces resignation after troops mutiny
Mali citizens celebrate the resignation of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Photo: AFP
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