Family and former colleagues have confirmed the death of the ousted President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Keita had a minor stroke two years ago; however, the cause of his death on Sunday is not entirely clear. According to a family member, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita died at 09:00 GMT; he was at his home in the Bamako capital.
Mr. Keita was the president of Mali for seven years until 2022. He was ousted in a coup after several anti-government protests on handling the Jihadist unrest.
The disputed elections and the enormous economic crisis also led to demonstrations against his rule. Mr. Keita was in politics for over three decades and was the prime minister from 1994 to 2000.
His Life
He was born in the southern city of Koutiala to a civil servant father and studied history and international relations, and literature in Paris.
He lived and worked in Paris for several decades, and he was a teacher at the University of Paris. Mr. Keita returned to Mali in 1980 and worked as the European Development Fund advisor.
Mali has had political and security crises since the outbreak of independence and jihadist insurgencies in 2012. President Keita was elected in 2013 on a promise to ensure peace and stability in Mali, and he did win by a landslide.
However, his government failed to end the security challenges, which made the military oust him in August 2020.
He suffered a minor stroke and was flown for treatment to the United Arab Emirates some weeks later. He since kept a low profile, living in Bamako with his lovely wife, Aminata.
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