Africa-News reports that Mali’s protest movement has pressed on with a demand for embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to quit, as international mediators tried to defuse the crisis in the conflict-riven country.
At a news conference in the capital Bamako on Friday, the June 5 Movement also insisted that the West African state’s parliament be dissolved, and called for a “republican transition” from the current government.
The move came during soaring political tensions in Mali, which a delegation from the 15-nation West African regional bloc ECOWAS is trying to calm.
The June 5 Movement has triggered a showdown with the government with unflinching demands that Keita resign for his perceived failures in tackling the dire economy and Mali’s eight-year conflict with armed fighters.
After staging several anti-Keita protests last month, the latest rally, on July 10, turned violent and deepened the political impasse.
Three days of violence between protesters and security forces ensued, leaving 11 dead and 158 injured, according to an official tally, in the bloodiest bout of political unrest in years.
ECOWAS mediators met Keita on Friday, according to a statement from the presidency.
They also met influential imam Mahmoud Dicko – who is viewed as the de facto leader of the movement despite not being a formal member.
“We really spoke as brothers and Africans, and I hope that, inshallah (God willing), something will come out of this that will give Mali back its greatness,” he said. Africa-News reports.