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Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Mali’s former president ,who led the West African country from 2013 until his overthrow in a coup in 2020, has passed away at the age of 76 in the capital Bamako on Sunday.
A family member disclosed, “President IBK died this morning at 0900 GMT in his home” in Bamako, using the ex-leader’s initials, with several other family members confirming his passing.
The cause of Keita’s death was however not disclosed.
Keita was two years into his second five-year term when he was toppled by the military in 2020.
In the weeks before the coup, he had been struggling with protests fuelled by his handling of a jihadist insurgency and failure to turn around Mali’s floundering economy.
Keita was forced out of office on August 18, 2020, by young military officers who staged an uprising at a base near Bamako before heading into the city, where they seized Keita and other leaders.
The junta that emerged from the rebellion having being under pressure from the West African bloc ECOWAS, released Keita on August 27 and returned him to his residence in Bamako, under surveillance.
He suffered a mini-stroke the following month and was flew to the United Arab Emirates for treatment.
The ruling junta would in May 2021 stage another coup .
ECOWAS voted to censure Mali this month, after the junta proposed it would stay in power for up to five years before staging elections despite international demands that it respect a promise to hold the vote in February.
AFP
Fatimah Oyesanmi
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