Elected president of Mali in September 2013, he was overthrown by the military in August 2020. He died this Sunday morning at his home, his family said.
Former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who led Mali between 2013 and 2020, died Sunday at his home in Bamako at the age of 76, AFP learned from his family. “President IBK (Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta) died this morning at 09:00 (GMT and local) at his homein Bamako, a member of his family told AFP.
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This information was confirmed by several members of his family and those around him. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, elected president of Mali in September 2013, was overthrown by soldiers in August 2020. The cause of death was not specified.
Mali, already plunged into a serious security and political crisis since the outbreak of independence and jihadist insurgencies in 2012, has also been facing heavy sanctions from ECOWAS for a week.
Meteoric rise
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who claimed to be from the left, experienced a meteoric rise under Alpha Oumar Konaré, the first president (1992-2002) of Mali’s democratic era. He notably served as Prime Minister from 1994 to 2000.
Unhappy pretender in the 2002 presidential election, he got his revenge by gaining access to the Koulouba palace, the seat of the Malian presidency in Bamako, in 2013. He was re-elected in 2018 against Soumaïla Cissé, then leader of the opposition and died in December 2020 of Covid-19.
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The coup that overthrew him in August 2020 was followed by a second in May 2021. The junta led by Colonel Assimi Goïta announced its intention to rule the country for several years, as it was previously committed to organizing presidential and legislative elections on February 27 to allow civilians to return to power.