Mali’s Ousted President Moved to House, Kept Under Guard
Mali Junta Frees President Keita a Week After His Arrest
Mali’s military junta has allowed ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to return to his residence in the capital after holding him for a week, it said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Keita, who was overthrown in an Aug. 18 coup, had been in military custody. He was released late Wednesday and is still being guarded by army officers, said a person who spoke to Keita, declining to be identified because he’s not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.
The Economic Community of West African States, which has led efforts to solve the political crisis in Mali, had called for his release. It had initially also demanded his reinstatement as president, but softened its stance after meeting with the junta in the capital, Bamako, over the weekend.
Keita, 75, dissolved his government and resigned under pressure from soldiers who detained him hours after they staged a mutiny at an army barracks on the outskirts of Bamako. He was elected to office in 2013, just over a year after his predecessor, Amadou Toumani Toure, was himself ousted in a coup.
Many Malians celebrated his ouster, which came after weeks of popular protests calling for his resignation. The junta, which calls itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, said it intervened to bring an end to corruption and poor governance in the West African nation.
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