Mali President resigns after mutiny soldiers detain him at gunpoint

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation and dissolved the Parliament on August 19, 2020 after he was reportedly detained at gunpoint by mutinying soldiers. 

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced early resignation from the post saying that he does not wish blood to be shed to keep him in power following an armed mutiny in the Bamako. Keita said that his resignation, which comes three years before his term was due to end, will be effective immediately. He also announced that his government and the National Assembly would be dissolved.

On August 18, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had demanded "the immediate and unconditional release" of Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse after they were "arrested" by the mutiny soldiers.

Mali Mutiny: What happened and why?

• The military units of Maly began mutiny on August 18 and many rebels arrested several ministers and high-ranking officers.

• The mutiny soldiers seized President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from his home in a dramatic power grab. Prime Minister Boubou Cisse was also taken into custody along with the President. 

• The mutiny of the soldiers is thought to be related to the financial grievances of the military servicemen.

• As per local media, four military officials are responsible for organising the mutiny. The Mali government had earlier issued a statement signed by Maiga calling for dialogue with the mutineers.

• On August 18, crowds took to the streets in Mali’s capital city Bamako, surrounding the city's independence monument. A building owned by Mali's Minister of Justice was looted and set on fire.

• The unrest in Mali's capital followed reports of an attempted mutiny at a military camp 15 km outside of the city. The attempted mutiny had taken place in Kati, at the same camp that a successful military coup was launched back in 2012.

Violence and gunfire

Following the mutiny of the soldiers, civilians also took to the streets of Bamako amid a lack of security presence. Occasional gunfire was heard with rebel soldiers firing shots in the direction of the president's residence. 

Background

Mali has been marred with instability since 2012 when an Islamist rebellion had broken out in the north. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita had been democratically elected in 2013. He had then emerged from a field of more than two dozen candidates to register a landslide victory with more than 77 percent of the vote in Mali’s first democratic post-coup election. He was re-elected five years later. 

However, President Keita was faced with growing public discontent since May after the country's top court overturned results of the disputed parliamentary elections. This fueled anti-government protests demanding his ouster from the post.