Mali

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Leaders of the West African regional bloc have lifted sanctions imposed on Mali following the Aug. 18 military coup that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the group said on Tuesday.

The crippling sanctions on landlocked Mali were lifted following the nomination of retired Colonel Bah Ndaw as interim president, and Moctar Ouane as prime minister of the transition that is expected to last 18 months, the statement said.

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian authorities have released 180 Islamic extremists from a prison in the capital and flown them to the country’s north, an official confirmed late Sunday, fueling speculation that a prominent opposition politician held by jihadists could soon be freed after more than six months in captivity.

BAMAKO (Reuters) - A retired colonel was sworn in as Mali’s interim president on Friday, tasked with presiding over an 18-month transition back to civilian rule following a military coup.

Bah Ndaw, 70, also served as defence minister in 2014 and previously headed the air force. He took the oath of office in front of several hundred military officers, political leaders and diplomats.

Colonel Assimi Goita, who led the Aug. 18 coup that overthrew Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as president, was sworn in as vice president during a ceremony in Bamako.

BAMAKO, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Three Malian soldiers were killed and four others injured, in an ambush yesterday, in Boulkessy, a town in Mali’s central region of Mopti, the Defence Ministry said.

“On Sept 23, (yesterday), around 12:45 p.m. (1245 GMT), a FAMa (Malian armed forces) patrol team was ambushed, at the south of Boulkessy,” the ministry said in a press release.

BAMAKO, Sept 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mali’s ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has been admitted to a hospital in the capital Bamako.

The media quoted two anonymous sources at a clinic where the former leader is reportedly being treated.

The 75-year-old politician was detained for 10 days by the military junta before he announced his resignation and was later freed to stay at his home.

During mediation talks he was quoted as saying that he was not interested in the presidency.

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mediators from West Africa’s regional bloc reached agreement on certain points in talks with Mali’s military junta that are aimed at returning the country to civilian rule, the parties said on Sunday, adding that some outstanding issues remained.

The negotiations will continue on Monday, members of both delegations told journalists in Bamako.

Leaders of the military junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita and mediators from West Africa’s regional bloc led by Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, met behind closed doors all day on Sunday.

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — West African leaders escalated pressure on Mali’s ruling junta late Thursday, calling on them to allow President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s return to power as the mutinous soldiers who overthrew him insisted his midnight resignation had been his own decision.

The junta behind Tuesday’s military takeover said the 75-year-old Keita was only being held at army barracks for his own protection, and denied he had been ousted in the first place.

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — African and Western leaders condemned on Wednesday the junta that forced Mali’s president from power, warning the coup was a deep setback for the West African nation that could threaten the battle against Islamic extremism.

Soldiers calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People promised that they would ultimately hand power to a transitional civilian government but gave no timeline. Junta members urged Malians to return to business as usual.

Bamako, Aug 19 (AP/PTI) Mali's president announced his resignation late Tuesday, just hours after armed soldiers seized him from his home in a dramatic power grab following months of protests demanding his ouster.

The news of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators and alarm by former colonial ruler France, and other allies and foreign nations.

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s president announced his resignation late Tuesday, just hours after armed soldiers seized him from his home in a dramatic power grab following months of protests demanding his ouster.

The news of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators and alarm by former colonial ruler France, and other allies and foreign nations.