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Mali must appoint civilian government immediately, says regional bloc

Mali must appoint civilian government immediately, says regional bloc

MALI’S military coup leaders must hand over power to a civilian transitional government immediately, the chairman of the West African regional bloc said on said, as a deadline expired for the ruling junta to appoint interim leaders. The 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed economic sanctions after the August 18 overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and said a new president should be appointed by Tuesday. But the junta pushed through a charter on Saturday that says the interim president can be a soldier or a civilian and has not yet indicated when the new government would…
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Mali negotiators back charter that could see soldier as interim president

Mali negotiators back charter that could see soldier as interim president

PAUL LORGERIE and TIEMOKO DIALLO  MALI’S ruling junta pushed through a political charter on Saturday that could lead to the appointment of a soldier as interim president despite objections from the coalition that led anti-government protests before last month's coup. Approval for the roadmap, meant to chart the country's course after the August 18 coup that toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, came after three days of negotiations between the junta, political leaders and civil society groups. International powers, fearful that political instability will undermine a fight against Islamist militants across West Africa's Sahel region, have pushed for a swift transition…
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Police and protesters clash as Mali starts post-coup transition talks

Police and protesters clash as Mali starts post-coup transition talks

POLICE fired tear gas to disperse campaigners for civilian rule before substantive talks over Mali's political future began on Thursday, a sign of a deepening rift over who should lead the post-coup transitional government. About 100 supporters of the M5-RFP coalition, which led months of mass demonstrations against deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, clashed with police at the entrance to the conference centre, delaying the start of the talks. The junta that toppled Keita on August 18 wants the transitional government to be lead by the military, while the M5-RFP and regional leaders have called for a civilian to take…
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West African bloc chairman calls for Mali junta’s cooperation

West African bloc chairman calls for Mali junta’s cooperation

BOUREIMA BALIMA The military junta in Mali must work with the West African regional bloc to ensure a swift return to civilian rule, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou said on Monday, opening a summit in which Mali's post-coup progress is high on the agenda. A group of army colonels has ruled Mali since ousting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18. No consensus has yet been reached on the make-up and duration of a transitional government ahead of promised elections. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is calling for a vote within a year, a timeline the junta,…
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Ousted Mali president Keita leaves country as transition talks begin

Ousted Mali president Keita leaves country as transition talks begin

TIEMOKO DIALLO OUSTED  Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has left the country for medical treatment in Abu Dhabi, an adviser said, as talks about a transition back to civilian rule following last month's military coup got off to a chaotic start. Keita, 75, was hospitalised in the capital Bamako on Tuesday, six days after he was released from detention by the ruling junta, which seized power on Aug. 18. His former chief of staff, Mamadou Camara, told Reuters that Keita left Bamako on Saturday evening aboard a plane chartered by the United Arab Emirates at the request of Mali's ruling…
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Rowdy protests get Mali transition talks off to chaotic start

Rowdy protests get Mali transition talks off to chaotic start

TALKS in Mali about a transition back to civilian rule following last month's military coup got off to a chaotic start on Saturday as opponents of the deposed president accused the ruling junta of excluding them from some of the negotiations. Hundreds of representatives from the junta, political parties and civil society groups attended the start of talks in the capital Bamako which are meant to chart a path forward after the August 18 coup that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The military takeover was welcomed by many Malians, tired of violence by Islamist and ethnic militias and alleged high-level…
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Despite coup, France and allies push on with new Mali task force

Despite coup, France and allies push on with new Mali task force

EUROPEAN special forces are set to begin fighting alongside Malian troops against Islamist militants in the coming weeks despite a military coup that overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, French officials have announced. The junta, which on Wednesday replaced senior military officials appointed from the previous administration, is consulting on a transition plan with Mali's political parties and civil society groups. Former colonial power France has more than 5,100 personnel spread across the region with a large portion in Mali operating against rising militancy. Paris has been counting on a new task force of hundreds of European special forces, including from…
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Ousted Mali president in hospital for checks, says source close to family

Ousted Mali president in hospital for checks, says source close to family

MALI’S ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was hospitalised in the capital Bamako on Tuesday evening for an overdue check-up with his doctor, a source said, six days after he was released from detention by the country's new military leadership. The junta allowed Keita, 75, to return home last Thursday in an attempt to court goodwill with regional states who imposed strict sanctions on the country following his overthrow on August 18. According to a deal struck with regional mediators, the junta agreed to allow Keita, who has ongoing health issues, to see his doctor, and if necessary, travel abroad for…
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“Disease” of Mali coup needs stamping out, say neighbours

“Disease” of Mali coup needs stamping out, say neighbours

MALI’S West African neighbours believe that sanctions they imposed over a coup there were needed to stamp out the "disease" of military takeovers, and that the officers who engineered the power grab should return to barracks. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Mali from its institutions, shut borders and halted financial flows with the country following last week's ousting of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Concerned about prolonged instability in Mali and its potential to undermine the fight against Islamist militants there and in the wider Sahel region, ECOWAS maintained that hard line on Friday. "Putschism" was…
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Mali junta frees ousted president Keita ahead of regional summit

Mali junta frees ousted president Keita ahead of regional summit

TIEMOKO DIALLO and DAVID LEWIS  COUP leaders in Mali have released President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and he has returned home, his representative said on Thursday, a potential sign of good faith a day ahead of a regional summit on the country's political future. A group of military officers has controlled Mali since Aug. 18, when they detained Keita at gunpoint and forced him to resign in a takeover foreign powers fear could further destabilise the West African nation and undermine a fight against Islamist militants in the wider Sahel region. Keita's release, nine days after he was ousted and detained,…
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