Mali, August 19: The Mali crisis deepened after President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation and said that both the government and the national assembly would be dissolved.  President Keita resigned in the early hours of Wednesday morning, hours after being detained by mutinying soldiers.

In an address on state television, the 75-year-old said he is resigning to avoid "bloodshed", hours after his arrest by troops in a sudden coup that followed a months-long political crisis. Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Resigns Hours After Being Detained by Mutiny Troops.

According to an AFP report, he said, "I would like at this precise moment, while thanking the Malian people for their support throughout these long years and the warmth of their affection, to tell you of my decision to relinquish my duties."

Mali President Says 'He is Resigning to Avoid Bloodshed'

Here's how events unfolded that led to President's resignation and Parliament dissolve:

  • The president and the prime minister were detained on Tuesday after soldiers mutinied at the Kati army base outside of capital Bamako and rounded up a number of senior civilian and military officials.

  • The developments were also condemned by the United States, the United Nations, the regional bloc known as ECOWAS and former colonizer France, which along with a UN peacekeeping mission has worked since 2013 to stabilize the West African nation.

  • As per reports, news of President Keita’s detention was met with celebration throughout the capital by anti-government protesters who have been demanding that the president step down three years before the end of his final term.

  • Keita won a second term in elections in 2018, but there was anger over corruption, the mismanagement of the economy and the rise of communal violence in several areas of the country.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2020 09:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).