By Mali has been thrown into mourning following the death of the country’s ousted president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, on Sunday morning, at the age of 76.
President IBK, as he was called by admirers, breathed his last at his home in the capital Bamako, a member of his family confirmed to the press.
The cause of his death is yet to be stated. Though, Keïta suffered a minor stroke about years ago.
Keïta, a former socialist prime minister, was elected Mali President in 2013. He led the Western African country for seven years until 2020, when he was ousted in a coup after huge anti-government protests over his handling of jihadist unrest.
His government, which rode into power, promising to “bring peace and security”, failed to put an end to Mali’s grave security challenges, and he was eventually ousted by the military in August 2020.
Weeks after he was forced to resign from office, Keïta suffered a minor stroke and was flown to the United Arab Emirates for medical treatment. Ever since, he kept a low profile, living in Bamako with his wife Aminata — where he eventually died.
