Mali President Urges Calm After Violent Protests Rock Capital

(Bloomberg) -- Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita sought to ease tensions Friday after violent protests calling for him to resign left several people injured in the capital Bamako.

Keita said in a statement that he regretted the “human and material losses” after protesters looted the parliament building and occupied the state broadcaster ORTM causing it to go off air for several hours.

Discontent with Keita, 75, has simmered for months over his failure to address a security crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and tension over a March parliamentary vote. Protesters, known as the M5 movement, are calling for political and judicial reforms or for Keita to step down.

Keita, who was re-elected in 2018, said Friday that he was prepared to continue talks with the protesters and to do “everything in his power” to solve the country’s political crisis.

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