Mali president resigned due to military coup

And Agence France-Presse reported that Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation, hours after he and his prime minister were arrested by rebel soldiers in a military coup condemned by the international community.

Keita (75 years old) said in his speech, "At this very moment, I would like to thank the financial people for their support for me over these long years and the warmth of their passion, to inform you of my decision to leave my duties, all my duties, from this moment on." He also decided to "dissolve the National Assembly and the government."

Keita explained that after the army turned against him, he had no choice but to resign because he did not want any drop of blood.

He said, "If some of our armed forces members decided today that the matter should end with their intervention, do I really have a choice? I am acquiescing because I do not want any drop of blood to be shed in order to remain in my position."

On Tuesday afternoon, rebel soldiers in Bamako arrested President Keita and his Prime Minister Bobo Cisse, in a coup supported by demonstrators who have been calling for months for the departure of the head of state.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the military coup in Mali, calling on the revolutionaries to immediately release the president and his prime minister, and threatening them with a series of measures, including financial sanctions.

ECOWAS, which includes 14 other countries to Mali, said in a statement that it had decided to suspend Mali from its decision-making bodies and that its members would close their land and air borders with this country, and would request the imposition of sanctions against the revolutionaries who overthrew the president and his government on Tuesday.

In its turn, Niger, which currently holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, announced that the leaders of the group's countries will hold a video-conference Thursday chaired by Nigerian President Muhammadu Issoufou to discuss "the situation in Mali."

ECOWAS also decided to “send a high-level delegation to ensure the immediate restoration of constitutional order” in Bamako.

Since June, Mali, the epicenter of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region since 2012, has plunged into a serious social and political crisis after opponents of President Keita took to the streets to demand his resignation.

Protesters led by a diverse coalition of clerics, politicians and civil society organizations are demanding the departure of Keita, who was elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2018 for a five-year term.

T/S

ANHA