The president of Niger is raising a few eyebrows following his comments on the death of Mali’s former prime minister. The 67-year-old Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga died in a hospital on Monday, having remained in detention under current Malian leader Assimi Goïta. Maïga was arrested in August, a year after the…
The African Union has suspended Mali’s membership following the second coup in the Sahel nation within the past year. The AU said it “totally rejects coups d’état and unconstitutional changes of government,” in a communique issued late Tuesday by the Peace and Security Council. The statement also called on the…
Transitional president Bah N’Daw has resigned, according to Malian news sources. The resignation was presented to Assimi Goïta, the transitional vice president, during an emergency meeting with former Nigerian president Jonathan Goodluck and his delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Bah N’Daw has reportedly dissolved his…
There’s a prisoner exchange in the works in Mali that would see opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé released, as well as French humanitarian aid worker Sophie Petronin, in exchange for the release of dozens of suspected fighters held by the Malian government. That’s according to Reuters, with the news agency reporting…
The Economic Community of West African States plans to send another delegation to Mali to address the ongoing coup, but both the new military leadership and main political opposition oppose their intervention. That’s according to reports that the Mouvement du 5 Juin-Rassemblement des Forces Patriotiques (M5-RFP) leaders are now aligned…
All eyes are on Mali as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta announced his resignation late Tuesday, following a tense day that saw a faction of its military rebel and place the president and top officials in detention. The unfolding events are prompting the global community to appeal for calm. “I strongly…
The Malian opposition continued to demand the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on Tuesday, rejecting a national unity plan and related measures proposed following an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit meeting on Mali. The Mouvement du 5 Juin – Rassemblement des Forces Patriotiques, led by Mahmoud…
West African heads of state concluded an extraordinary summit on Mali on Monday, with a plan to move beyond the current political and security crisis discussed during a video conference with embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. The delegation from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by…
An escalation in the violence in Mali has the international community appealing for restraint, following weekend protests that left four people dead when security forces fired live rounds on protesters in the capital of Bamako. Reports of other fatalities came from several cities as protesters supporting the opposition 5 June…
The head of the African Union Commission has called on Malian activists to remain peaceful, as the country enters another week of protests calling for an end to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s administration. The appeal from AU Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat follows demonstrations on Friday, when thousands of people in…
Military leaders and dignitaries traveled from France to Mali on Wednesday to pay tribute to 13 soldiers killed earlier this week in a helicopter collision while supporting anti-terrorism efforts in the Sahel. The crash happened in the dark as the helicopters flew low over ground operations in the Liptako Gourma…
MINUSMA, the United Nations mission in Mali, has confirmed that some 100 civilians including women and children were killed in the village of Sobanou-Kou in the Mopti region during an attack by armed men on Sunday night. Witnesses and local officials say there are many wounded as well in this…
On Thursday, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali declared three days of mourning for the country’s 26 soldiers killed in an attack one week ago at a military base in Dioura, in the central part of the Sahel nation. The number of dead continues to rise, according to Malian sources….
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
In Mali, the armed group JNIM (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims) claimed responsibility on Friday for last weekend’s attack on a military base in Dioura in the central part of the Sahel nation. In a statement from Al Zallaqa, the media arm of JNIM, it said its fighters…
During a briefing Friday with the UN Security Council, the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations said he is extremely concerned over the increasing number of attacks by armed groups in Mali. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the undersecretary general for peacekeeping operations, also lamented delays with the implementation of the 2015 peace…