Thousands march in Mali’s capital to celebrate downfall of president
BAMAKO, Mali — Thousands marched Friday in the streets of Mali’s capital to celebrate the overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, as the West African nation’s political opposition backed the military’s junta plan to eventually hand over power to a civilian transitional government.
But as opponents of the former regime moved ahead with plans for the future, the international community continued to express alarm about the coup that deposed Mali’s democratically elected leader this week. There are concerns that the political upheaval will divert attention away from the more than seven-year international fight against Islamic extremists who have used previous power vacuums in Mali to expand their terrain.
Soldiers from the junta calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People made a brief appearance Friday at Bamako’s Independence Square, where they thanked the crowd of thousands for their support.
“We have come to complete your work. This is your struggle,” Col. Major Ismael Wague told the demonstrators, before introducing two more officials in the junta’s leadership.
Keita — first elected in a 2013 landslide the year after a similar military coup — saw his popularity plummet after his 2018 re-election as the Malian army faced punishing losses from jihadist attacks. Then after dozens of legislative elections were disputed this spring, demonstrators began taking to the streets calling for his resignation. He offered concessions and regional mediators intervened, but his opponents who formed a coalition known as M5RFP made clear they would accept nothing short of his departure.
On Friday, they welcomed the week’s developments but insisted they remained “deeply attached to democracy.” The junta has promised it will return the country to civilian rule but has given no time frame for doing so. Mali was not due to have another election until 2023.
The regional bloc known as ECOWAS signaled it would send another delegation to Bamako soon and called for the mobilization of a regional standby military force, and indication it was preparing contingency plans in case negotiations again failed.
ECOWAS leaders have suspended Mali’s membership, closed its borders and said that financial sanctions would be imposed against the junta leaders.
Wague, the junta spokesman, insisted Keita had resigned of his own free will despite soldiers having detained him after surrounding his private residence and firing shots into the air. The 75-yearold ousted leader remained in military custody Friday along with the prime minister.