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Former Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita dies at 76 | News

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Keita, who was 76, led the country from 2013 until he was ousted in a coup in 2020.

Former President of Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keita He died at the age of 76, according to his family.

“President IBK died this morning at 9am GMT at his home” in the capital Bamako, a family member told AFP news agency, using the initials of the former leader, as several other relatives have confirmed his death.

The cause of death has not been determined.

Keita has led the West African country since 2013 they removed it in one fell swoop 2020.

He vowed to restore Mali’s honor as a model of West African democracy, while campaigning as a unifying figure for his broken country, pledging “zero tolerance” in the face of corruption.

He won the election in 2013, and was re-elected five years later. But slow reforms, a collapsing economy and poor public services and schools, coupled with a highly shared perception of government corruption, fueled anti-Keita sentiment and sparked large protests in Bamako.

The military overthrew Keita for rejecting its commitment to hold democratic elections in February. extending the transition period to civilian authority for five years.

In this regard, the main West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, said it would close borders with Mali and impose a search. economic penalties.

Mali has been struggling to regain stability since 2012, when ethnic Tuareg and non-aligned armed groups seized two-thirds of the country’s north to temporarily oust France from former colonial powers.

Ethnic killings and armed force abuses became a defining feature of Keita’s presidency, despite the deployment of thousands of French and international soldiers to support armed groups.



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