Explosive kills 3 French army soldiers on mission in Mali

December 28, 2020

PARIS (AP) — The French presidency said three French soldiers were killed Monday in Mali when an improvised explosive device hit their armored vehicle. The soldiers were participating in a military operation in the Hombori area of Mali’s central Mopti province, part of a larger mission aiming at fighting Islamist extremists in Africa’s Sahel region, the French presidency said in a statement.

Defense Minister Florence Parly said the soldiers were working "in an area where terrorist groups are attacking civilians and threatening the regional stability." Parly said they were involved in a mission aiming at helping Mali to gradually be able to ensure its own security. The defense minister did not provide further details.

France has more than 5,000 troops deployed in West Africa to help fight extremist groups as part of Operation Barkhane. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute “with the greatest respect” to the three soldiers who died. He cited France’s determination to “pursue the fight against terrorism” in the region.

Islamic extremist rebels were forced from power in northern Mali after a 2013 French-led military operation. The rebels regrouped in the desert and now launch frequent attacks on the Malian army and its allies.

French hostage freed in Mali arrives home in France

October 10, 2020

PARIS (AP) — A 75-year-old French aid worker held hostage for four years by Islamic extremists in Mali was reunited Friday with her grandchildren in France, as relatives also welcomed home two Italians and a Malian politician freed with her this week.

They were released earlier this week, days after the Malian government freed nearly 200 Islamic militants in an apparent prisoner exchange. But the homecoming was muted by the announcement later Friday that a Swiss woman held captive by the same extremist group had been killed. Swiss officials said Beatrice Stoeckli, whose release they had quietly been trying to negotiate since she was kidnapped four years ago, was killed about a month ago. They said they received the information from French authorities, who were notified by “the recently released French hostage.”

“It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of our fellow citizen,” Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said in a statement. “I condemn this cruel act and express my deepest sympathy to the relatives.”

Earlier Friday, 75-year-old French aid worker Sophie Petronin descended from a plane at the Villacoublay military airport southwest of Paris, where she was greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Wearing a white veil and a trench coat, Petronin held her grandsons in her arms. “The French and I are glad to see you back at last, dear Sophie Petronin,” Macron tweeted. “Welcome home.” Petronin met with Macron for about an hour at the airport. They did not speak to the press.

Macron expressed joy and relief at her release, thanked the Malian authorities and promised that the French military would continue its fight against terrorism in the West African region. In an emotional reunion late Thursday in the Malian capital, Petronin's son Sebastien Chadaud cried when describing how he fought for her release, telling his mother: “I did my best.” She comforted him, saying, “You did what you could.”

As her son kissed her head, she said she just wanted to spend time with him, “to look at him and tell him, ‘Forgive me, I caused you so much pain, so much difficulty, so much work to help me get out.’”

Petronin was released with the two Italians and a prominent Malian politician this week. The Rev. Pierluigi Maccalli and Nicola Chiacchio arrived at Rome’s Ciampino airport on Friday afternoon aboard an Italian government jet, welcomed by Premier Giuseppe Conte and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. Wearing facemasks over their beards and clad in sweat suits, the two men greeted the officials on the tarmac and then proceeded into an airport VIP lounge.

Soumaila Cisse, a three-time presidential candidate in Mali, recounted months of arduous conditions before a precarious trip to their extraction point, arriving in Mali's capital 48 hours after first being released in the country's remote north.

There was no immediate information about the five other foreign hostages that the Islamic militants from JNIM are believed to still hold. It also was not known whether a ransom was paid, though extremist groups have long funded their operations with such payments from European governments.

Cisse, who had been kidnapped earlier this year while campaigning for re-election as a legislator, told Mali's state broadcaster ORTM that after months of captivity things began to move quickly at the end of September.

He said late Thursday that he had made a proof of life video on Sept. 26, and earlier this week he was freed. Still, security conditions prevented them from reaching the northern town of Tessalit for two more days.

“I spent six months in ... very difficult living conditions, in almost permanent isolation, but I must confess that I was not subjected to any violence, neither physical nor verbal,” Cisse told ORTM. The Italian hostages included Maccalli, a Roman Catholic missionary priest from the African Missionary Society who was kidnapped from neighboring Niger in 2018.

In a tweet, the Italian bishops' conference expressed “gratitude to those who worked for liberation as we continue to pray for those who are missing.” Among those missing is Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Narváez Argoti, last seen in a 2018 video alongside Petronin.

In Maccalli's birthplace of Crema, a city east of Milan in northern Italy, bells tolled in the cathedral to welcome the news of his liberation. “I hope that the release of Fr. Gigi is a promising sign of hope for all the others who are prisoners for their faith and their struggle for truth, justice and reconciliation; and may it be a seed of peace and trust for the Niger he loves so much," Crema Bishop Daniele Gianotti said.

Looking energetic and determined despite her ordeal, Petronin told French broadcasters that she wants to go back to the northern Malian town of Gao to see the children she was helping before she was kidnapped.

“I made a commitment to the children. For four years I haven’t seen how the programs are working,” she said, referring to her work with orphaned and malnourished children. “I will go to France, to Switzerland, and then I will come back to see what’s happening here.”

During her captivity, Petronin said she was allowed to listen to the radio, and her guards shared messages and videos with her, including one from her son. “I hung on — I prayed a lot because I had a lot of time,” Petronin told reporters at the French Embassy in Bamako. “I transformed detention ... into a spiritual retreat, if one can say that.”

Petronin’s middle-aged son told French reporters that “it was a little boy who found his mom again, and a mom who was comforting her little boy.” He added: “She’s like a block of granite, my mom.”

Ahmed reported from Bamako, Mali. Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome; Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.

France: Mali junta's timeline 'out of the question'

August 30, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — France's defense minister is pressing Mali's military junta to return the country to civilian rule within months, saying Sunday that the three-year timeline proposed by the coup leaders is “out of the question.”

The comments came hours after the junta hastily met with prominent figures from the opposition coalition following a public dispute that highlighted emerging divisions. Both sides were united in their desire to see former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita gone, but the opposition has begun criticizing the junta in recent days showing how tense the debate over Mali's future has become.

On Friday, imam and opposition leader Mahmoud Dicko publicly urged the junta leaders to meet the demands of regional mediators in order to spare Mali further crippling financial sanctions. Dicko, whom some suspect has political ambitions of his own, called on the current leadership to "be part of the solution and not another problem.”

The 15-nation West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has said Mali’s return to democracy must not take more than a year and already has stopped financial flows to the country among other measures.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly agreed, telling Europe-1 radio the transition should take place within “a matter of months.” “If this does not happen, the risk is that all this benefits terrorists first and foremost," she said. "Terrorists feed on the weakness of states.”

A similar military coup in Mali in 2012 unleashed political upheaval that was exploited by Islamic extremists in the country's north. They managed to seize power of the major towns in the north and implemented their strict interpretation of Islamic law before former colonizer France led a military intervention the following year to oust them.

The jihadists though have regrouped in the surrounding rural areas, and have continued to launch scores of attacks on U.N. peacekeepers and the Malian military, one of the factors contributing to the president's downfall. While the violence started before he took office in 2013, many Malians felt his government had not done enough to stamp out the extremists, who further encroached into central Mali during Keita's presidency.

Nearly two weeks after a military junta seized power, there is still no consensus on who will lead the transition that the international community is demanding, nor has there been any agreement on how quickly that should be achieved. Many fear that further political instability could unravel more than seven years of effort by France and the international community to stabilize the country.

The French defense minister said that a video conference would be organized this week with 18 international partners, though no further details were available. Early Sunday, Mali's opposition alliance known as M5-RFP said it had put forth its own plan to the junta, but no details were given about their suggested time frame.

Tensions had flared Saturday when the M5-RFP leadership put out a terse statement saying they hadn't been invited to the junta's planned forum on the country's future. Coalition spokesman Issa Kaou Djim later said they had “cleared up the misunderstanding” with junta leaders.

However, questions remain about what role each will play. Dicko became an influential figure during the months of street demonstrations to oust Keita. Initially, he indicated he wanted to leave politics and return to preaching at his mosque. But his public statement Friday fueled further speculation he may still have political ambitions.

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.

Mali junta wants to hold off on elections until 2023

August 24, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The military junta that overthrew Mali's president wants to put off new elections for three years, an official said Monday, as the international community pressed for an immediate return to civilian rule.

The coup leaders want to prepare a new constitution before holding any vote, said an official in the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists. The junta's proposal will likely be rejected by West African regional mediators and former colonizer France: It's more than double the time it took to hold a vote after a similar coup in 2012, and would allow the soldiers who overthrew a democratically elected president to remain in power for years.

A mediation team from the 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS has been pressing the junta to hand over power to a civilian transitional government. Initially, they called for ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to be reinstalled as president, but that prospect has become unlikely amid an outpouring of public support in Mali for the coup d'etat.

The official taking part in the talks indicated there had been some movement toward releasing Keita, who has been detained along with Mali's prime minister since the coup a week ago. Among the options is allowing him to stay at his residence in Bamako under surveillance instead of at the military barracks in Kati, he said.

African countries and the wider international community have expressed alarm over the coup d’etat, which deposed Keita three years before his final term was due to end. Mali has been fighting against Islamic extremists with heavy international support for more than seven years, and jihadists have previously used power vacuums in the country to expand their territory.

The high-level regional delegation, led by Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, held talks with the junta, including Col. Assimi Goita, who has declared himself the group’s leader. The regional delegation also has met with Keita and the other detained officials.

After the brief meetings, few details were given, but Jonathan did say that Keita was doing well. Hours after Keita was detained at his home last week, he announced his resignation on state broadcaster ORTM saying he did not want any blood to be shed for him to stay in power. The next day, soldiers took to the airwaves calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People.

Keita won the country's 2013 election in a landslide, only to see his popularity plummet after his 2018 reelection 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 made it clear they would accept nothing short of his departure.

Mali’s opposition coalition, the M5-RFP, welcomed the ouster of Keita but they insisted they remained “deeply attached to democracy.”

Top West Africa delegation goes to Mali to meet with junta

August 22, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Top West African officials are arriving in Mali's capital following a coup in the nation this week to meet with the junta leaders and the deposed president in efforts to negotiate a return to civilian rule.

The mediation efforts on Saturday come a day after thousands of Malians took to the streets of Bamako, the capital city, to celebrate the coup. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has strongly condemned the coup and said the high-level delegation will work “to ensure the immediate return of constitutional order.” ECOWAS also demanded the reinstatement of deposed president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

ECOWAS had said it is mobilizing a regional military force, an indication that it is preparing for a military intervention in case its negotiations with the junta leaders fail. The high-level delegation is to hold talks with the junta, including Col. Assimi Goita, who has declared himself the group's leader. Later the regional delegation will meet with Keita and the other detained officials, according to the ECOWAS program.

The widespread support for the coup shown by the demonstration in Bamako Friday means the junta may argue to the ECOWAS delegation that they enjoy popular support. The coup occurred on Tuesday when soldiers detained the president and forced him to resign and to dissolve the National Assembly and government. By Wednesday, soldiers from the junta calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People had declared they were in charge of the West African nation and would work toward a civilian transitional government. Keita and his prime minister have remained in the custody of the coup leaders.

The international community has expressed alarm about the coup d’etat, which deposed Mali’s democratically elected leader who still had three years left in his term. Mali has been fighting against Islamic extremists with heavy international support for more than seven years, and jihadists have previously used power vacuums in Mali to expand their territory.

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 M5-RFP 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.

Military juntas across West Africa have not always been in a rush to hand over power even when promising to do so — after the country’s March 2012 coup, the first democratic election was not held until the following August.

Mahmoud Dicko, an imam who led the political opposition to Keita’s presidency, told supporters Friday he was ready to return to his mosque. But he did not rule out a return to politics entirely, saying: “I am an imam, I wish to die an imam, but I won’t keep quiet about injustice.”

Associated Press writer Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

Mali's junta spokesman promises transition to civilian rule

August 21, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The military junta ruling Mali following this week's coup is seeking a transitional president to return the country civilian rule, the group's spokesman said. Ismael Wague told The Associated Press that the newly formed National Committee for the Salvation of the People will meet with political parties and civil society groups to determine the duration and composition of the transition.

His words come as West African leaders are escalating pressure on the junta and urging them to restore President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to power. Wague, however, denied that the junta had carried out a coup d’etat, saying that Mali still has constitutional order and the 75-year-old Keita was only being held at army barracks for his own protection. He denied that the president had been ousted.

“The president of the republic resigned on his own after making an analysis of the country’s situation,” Wague said. “For us, this is a civil transition, not a military one, and the president of the transition must reach a consensus among the forces of the nation,” he said.

Mali's opposition coalition, the M5-RFP, has not yet said if it will be part of the transition, though experts say it is likely. It is holding marches Friday in Bamako, the capital, “to pay tribute to the Malian people for their heroic struggle,” they said in a statement.

The coalition called on the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, “the African Union and the international community as a whole to better understand the situation in Mali apart from questions of sanctions and to support the Malian people in their quest for peace and reconciliation. national, genuine democracy and better living.”

The M5-RFP welcomed Keita’s resignation and the dissolution of the National Assembly, it said in a statement Friday. Though the M5-RFP was not involved in the overthrow, they led mass demonstrations starting in June calling for Keita’s ouster.

ECOWAS has called for the creation of a standby regional military force for possible intervention in Mali, saying Keita must be allowed to serve out the three years left in his term after this week’s “coup attempt.”

ECOWAS leaders, after an urgent summit meeting on Thursday, warned that Mali's junta was responsible for the safety of Keita and all other detained government officials. The regional bloc said it would soon send a delegation to Bamako to try to help restore constitutional order. The ECOWAS leaders have already suspended Mali’s membership, closed its borders with the country, and said that financial sanctions would be imposed against the junta leaders.

The United Nations and France have also urged a return to constitutional order in Mali, amid fears that Islamic extremists could once again gain ground amid the political upheaval, derailing more than seven years of effort to stabilize the country.

French and U.N. soldiers patrolled the streets in Mali’s northern city of Gao on Friday, where there was worry of more chaos. The U.N. has a mission of 15,600 soldiers in Mali and France has about 5,000 troops in its Operation Barkhane, both to try to stabilize the country amid increasing attacks from Islamic extremists.

Mali had a similar coup in 2012 which created a power vacuum that allowed jihadists to seize control of key northern cities until a French-led military operation pushed the rebels out of the urban centers the following year.

Observers fear Mali's current political upheaval will give extremists another chance to expand their reach. Wague, the junta spokesman, said the new military rulers were doing everything possible to be sure that was not the case.

“It is possible that some may take advantage of the situation to plan things, but we are in contact with the operational units on the ground so that they can continue their work,” he told AP. “We know how difficult it is for them because all of us come from the field and we will do everything we can to increase their operational capacity.”

After extremists allied to al-Qaida took over the major centers in northern Mali, they implemented their strict interpretation of Islamic law, including amputating hands for those accused of theft. Since being pushed out of the northern cities, the jihadists have regrouped in rural areas and launched relentless attacks on the Malian military, as well as the U.N., French and regional forces in the country. The extremists have moved south, inflaming tensions between ethnic groups in central Mali.

Col. Assimi Goita, Mali’s new strongman, had been head of a special military unit based in central Mali. He also had taken part in the annual Flintlock training organized by the U.S. military to help Mali and other Sahel countries better fight extremists.

While Mali’s Islamic insurgency started before Keita took office, many felt his government did not do enough to end the violence.

Associated Press writers Carley Petesch and Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

Mali coup leaders vow elections amid widespread condemnation

August 19, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The junta that forced Mali’s president to resign urged people to go back to business as usual on Wednesday, seeking to normalize their coup amid global condemnation from leaders who feared the power grab would only further mire West Africa's fight against growing Islamic extremism.

Former colonizer France, which has worked to stabilize the country since leading a 2013 military operation to oust extremists from power in the north, called for a return to civilian rule. The United Nations, which is spending $1.2 billion a year on its peacekeeping mission in Mali, also strongly condemned the coup.

Tuesday’s developments “represent an enormous setback” after seven years of investment by international partners to address Mali’s insecurity and political challenges, said Judd Devermont, the director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Bamako is going to be paralyzed by the political jockeying over the future, and our ability to work with the government and security services are going to be undercut and restrained,” he said. “This intermediary period is really dangerous for the region’s security.”

The coup was an enormous blow for West Africa, where military power grabs were increasingly becoming a thing of the past before President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s ouster this week. Unpopular leaders in recent years were more likely to be forced into exile than overthrown outright by soldiers in the middle of the night.

This week’s developments sparked alarm it could set a dangerous precedent. Keita’s hand was forced Tuesday after months of anti-government protests amid deteriorating security. Mutinous soldiers surrounded his residence, fired shots into the air and eventually detained him and his prime minister. Keita later announced his resignation on state broadcaster ORTM. He said the National Assembly would also being dissolved.

Even as the international community condemned the coup, Keita's departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators in the capital, Bamako. The mutinous soldiers — who identified themselves as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People — tried to calm concerns in an address on state broadcaster ORTM early Wednesday.

“With you, standing as one, we can restore this country to its former greatness,” said spokesman Col. Maj. Ismael Wague He announced that Mali's borders were closed and imposed a nighttime curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. — but later Wednesday the junta urged people to return to life as usual.

Wague said the committee will implement a transition to civilian political rule with elections in a “reasonable amount of time," but gave no timeline. Mali was long hailed as a pillar of stability and democracy in West Africa, but it has been beset by insecurity since 2012, when a coup created a power vacuum that Islamic extremists took advantage of. Their rapid march through the country’s north alarmed the international community, as they set up a parallel state that many feared would threaten the security of the entire region.

French-led forces pushed back the jihadists, and a U.N. peacekeeping force of more than 15,000 troops is now on the ground. But even with substantial help from France's military, Malian forces have failed to end the attacks, which increased dramatically last year, unsettling the population.

Instability in Mali threatens the entire Sahel — an arid, thinly populated region south of the Sahara — where the U.S. also has about 1,400 troops, including special forces. In the years since the Islamic insurgency began in Mali, the rise of extremism also has increasingly destabilized neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger.

Criticism of the takeover was swift from the African Union and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, as well as France, the European Union and the United Nations. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the situation, and ECOWAS said it was sending a high-level delegation to “ensure the immediate return to constitutional order.”

The bloc had previously sent mediators to negotiate a unity government, but those talks fell apart. It said it would stop all economic, trade and financial flows and transactions between ECOWAS states and Mali.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the military takeover and pledged full support to the regional mediation effort. An official with the French presidency wouldn’t give any details about what the French military might do, saying only: “The priority is to not lose the fight against terrorism.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to be publicly named according to official policy.

Keita, who tried to meet protesters’ demands through a series of concessions, was first elected with 77% of the vote and has enjoyed broad support from France and other Western allies. But his political downfall closely mirrored that of his predecessor, Amadou Toumani Toure, who was forced out by an army captain angered over the government’s lack of support for soldiers battling ethnic Tuareg separatist rebels in the north.

The deteriorating security situation for soldiers as well as late and low payments for troops were among the issues playing a key role in this week's coup, said Alexandre Raymakers, a senior Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a risk consultancy.

But the actions by the military are about more than just insecurity, said Devermont, of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He noted that Keita appointed his son to a prominent political position and relied on low voter turnout during the coronavirus pandemic and a friendly constitutional court to assert control of the legislature.

"His political maneuvering and seeming disregard to the country’s plight triggered massive protests,” he said. A transitional government, however, will take some time to put together and, if done hastily, won't necessarily yield a dramatically different kind of leader, he warned.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in Mali warned that more chaos would only hurt the Malian people. “People in northern and central Mali have lived for years n a vicious cycle of conflict and climate shocks that have driven them from their homes and destroyed their livelihoods. Their needs must not be forgotten,” said the head of the delegation for ICRC in Mali, Klaus Spreyermann.

Petesch reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, and Angela Charlton from Paris contributed.

Mali soldiers behind coup take to airwaves, promise handover

August 19, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The Malian soldiers who forced President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign in a coup promised early Wednesday to organize new elections after their takeover was swiftly condemned by the international community.

In a statement carried overnight on state broadcaster ORTM, the mutinous soldiers who staged Tuesday's military coup identified themselves as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People led by Col. Maj. Ismael Wagué.

“With you, standing as one, we can restore this country to its former greatness," Wagué said, announcing that borders were closed and that a curfew was going into effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m The news of Keita’s departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators in the capital, Bamako, and alarm by former colonial ruler France, and other allies and foreign nations.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the unfolding situation in Mali, where the U.N. has a 15,600-strong peacekeeping mission. Keita, who was democratically elected in a 2013 landslide and re-elected five years later, still had three years left in his term. But his popularity had plummeted, and demonstrators began taking to the streets calling for his ouster in June.

West African regional bloc ECOWAS had sent mediators to try and negotiate a unity government but those talks fell apart when it became clear that the protesters would not accept less than Keita's resignation.

On Tuesday, mutinous soldiers forced his hand by surrounding his residence and firing shots into the air. Keita and the prime minister were soon detained and hours later he appeared on state broadcaster ORTM. A banner across the bottom of the television screen referred to him as the “outgoing president.”

“I wish no blood to be shed to keep me in power,” Keita said. “I have decided to step down from office.” He also announced that his government and the National Assembly would be dissolved, certain to further the country’s turmoil amid an eight-year Islamic insurgency and the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Keita, who tried to meet protesters’ demands through a series of concessions, has enjoyed broad support from France and other Western allies. He also was believed to have widespread backing among high-ranking military officials, underscoring a divide between army leadership and unpredictable rank-and-file soldiers.

Tuesday marked a repeat of the events leading up to the 2012 coup, which unleashed years of chaos in Mali when the ensuing power vacuum allowed Islamic extremists to seize control of northern towns. Ultimately a French-led military operation ousted the jihadists, but they merely regrouped and expanded their reach during Keita’s presidency into central Mali.

Keita’s political downfall closely mirrors that of his predecessor: Amadou Toumani Toure was forced out of the presidency in 2012 after a series of punishing military defeats. That time, the attacks were carried out by ethnic Tuareg separatist rebels. This time, Mali’s military has sometimes seemed powerless to stop extremists linked to al-Qaida and IS.

Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.

Mali's president announces resignation after armed mutiny

August 19, 2020

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. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the unfolding situation in Mali, where the U.N. has a 15,600-strong peacekeeping mission.

Speaking on national broadcaster ORTM just before midnight, a distressed Keita, wearing a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said his resignation — three years before his final term was due to end — was effective immediately. A banner across the bottom of the television screen referred to him as the “outgoing president.”

“I wish no blood to be shed to keep me in power,” Keita said. “I have decided to step down from office.” He also announced that his government and the National Assembly would be dissolved, certain to further the country’s turmoil amid an eight-year Islamic insurgency and the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Keita, who was democratically elected in 2013 and reelected five years later, was left with few choices after the mutinous soldiers seized weapons from the armory in the garrison town of Kati and then advanced on the capital of Bamako. They took Prime Minister Boubou Cisse into custody along with the president.

There was no immediate comment Wednesday from the troops, who hailed from the same military barracks where a coup was launched more than eight years ago, allowing the Islamic insurgency to take hold amid a power vacuum.

The political upheaval unfolded months after disputed legislative elections. And it also came as support for Keita tumbled amid criticism of his government’s handling of the insurgency, which has engulfed a country once praised as a model of democracy in the region.

The military has taken a beating over the past year from Islamic State and al-Qaida-linked groups. A wave of particularly deadly attacks in the north in 2019 prompted the government to close its most vulnerable outposts as part of a reorganization aimed at stemming the losses.

Tuesday’s developments were condemned by the African Union, the United States, and the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, which had been trying to mediate Mali’s political crisis. Former colonizer France and the United Nations, which has maintained a peacekeeping mission in Mali since 2013, also expressed alarm ahead of Keita’s speech.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sought “the immediate restoration of constitutional order and rule of law,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. But news of Keita’s detention was met with celebration throughout the capital by anti-government protesters who first took to the streets back in June to demand that the president step down.

“All the Malian people are tired — we have had enough,” one demonstrator said. The detention was a dramatic change of fortune for Keita, who seven years earlier emerged from a field of more than two dozen candidates to win Mali’s first democratic post-coup election in a landslide with more than 77% of the vote.

Regional mediators from ECOWAS, though, had failed in recent weeks to bridge the impasse between Keita’s government and opposition leaders, creating mounting anxiety about another military-led change of power.

Then on Tuesday, soldiers in Kati took weapons from the armory at the barracks and detained senior military officers. Anti-government protesters immediately cheered the soldiers’ actions, and some set fire to a building that belongs to Mali’s justice minister in the capital.

Cisse urged the soldiers to put down their arms. “There is no problem whose solution cannot be found through dialogue,” he said in a statement. But the wheels already were in motion — armed men began detaining people in Bamako too, including the country’s finance minister, Abdoulaye Daffe.

Keita, who tried to meet protesters’ demands through a series of concessions, has enjoyed broad support from France and other Western allies. He also was believed to have widespread backing among high-ranking military officials, underscoring a divide between army leadership and unpredictable rank-and-file soldiers.

Tuesday marked a repeat of the events leading up to the 2012 coup, which unleashed years of chaos in Mali when the ensuing power vacuum allowed Islamic extremists to seize control of northern towns. Ultimately a French-led military operation ousted the jihadists, but they merely regrouped and expanded their reach during Keita’s presidency into central Mali.

Keita’s political downfall closely mirrors that of his predecessor: Amadou Toumani Toure was forced out of the presidency in 2012 after a series of punishing military defeats. That time, the attacks were carried out by ethnic Tuareg separatist rebels. This time, Mali’s military has sometimes seemed powerless to stop extremists linked to al-Qaida and IS.

Back in 2012, the mutiny erupted at the Kati military camp as rank-and-file soldiers began rioting and then broke into the camp’s armory. After grabbing weapons, they later headed for the seat of government under the leadership of Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo. Sanogo was later forced to hand over power to a civilian transitional government, which then organized the election Keita won.

Mediators this time around have urged Keita to share power in a unity government. He even said he was open to redoing disputed legislative elections. But those overtures were swiftly rejected by opposition leaders who said they would not stop short of Keita’s ouster.

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press Writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Mali's president and prime minister held by mutinous troops

August 18, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mutinous soldiers detained Mali’s president and prime minister Tuesday after surrounding a residence and firing into the air in an apparent coup attempt after several months of demonstrations calling for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s ouster.

The soldiers moved freely through the streets of Bamako, making it increasingly clear that they were in control of the capital city. There was no immediate comment from the soldiers, who hail from the very same military barracks in Kati where an earlier coup originated more than eight years ago.

A regional official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to journalists, confirmed that the president and prime minister had been detained Tuesday evening. The dramatic escalation capped off a day of political chaos in Mali, where the U.N. and former colonizer France have spent more than seven years trying to stabilize the country since the 2012 coup allowed an Islamic insurgency to take hold in the West African nation.

The unrest had kicked off in the garrison town of Kati, where mutinous soldiers took weapons from the armory at the barracks, and then detained senior military officers. Anti-government protesters cheered the soldiers’ actions, some even setting fire to a building that belongs to Mali’s justice minister in the capital.

Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, had urged the soldiers to put down their arms. “There is no problem whose solution cannot be found through dialogue,” he said in a communique. Earlier in the day, government workers fled their offices as armed men began detaining officials including the country’s finance minister Abdoulaye Daffe.

It was a dramatic change of fate for Keita, who has tried to meet the protesters' demands through a series of concessions since the demonstrations began in June. Keita, who has broad support from former colonizer France and other Western allies, first came to power in 2013 when he won more than 77 percent of the vote in a democratic election.

Tuesday’s developments were immediately condemned by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS that had been mediating Mali’s political crisis. France and the United States also strongly criticized the moves.

“The U.S. is opposed to all unconstitutional changes of government whether in the streets or by security forces,” tweeted J. Peter Pham, the State Department’s special envoy for the Sahel region. It was a troubling repeat of the events leading up to the 2012 coup, which ultimately unleashed years of chaos in Mali when the ensuing power vacuum allowed Islamic extremists to seize control of northern towns. Ultimately a French-led military operation ousted the jihadists but they merely regrouped and then expanded their reach during Keita’s presidency into central Mali.

On March 21, 2012, a similar mutiny erupted at the Kati military camp as rank-and-file soldiers began rioting and then broke into the camp’s armory. After grabbing weapons they later headed for the seat of government, led by then Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo.

Sanogo was later forced to hand over power to a civilian transitional government that then organized the election Keita won. The current president has faced growing criticism of how his government has handled the relentless Islamic insurgency engulfing the country once praised as a model of democracy in the region. The military faced a wave of particularly deadly attacks in the north last year, prompting the government to close its most vulnerable outposts as part of a reorganization aimed at stemming the losses.

Regional mediators have urged Keita to share power in a unity government but those overtures were swiftly rejected by opposition leaders who said they would not stop short of Keita’s ouster.

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal.

Mali opposition to protest after rejecting mediators' plan

July 19, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali's political opposition has called for more protests in the streets after rejecting a plan put forth Sunday by regional mediators for the creation of a unity government that stopped short of demanding the president's resignation.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who still has three years left in his final term, has faced demonstrations by tens of thousands seeking his resignation since early June in this volatile West African nation. His popularity has fallen amid allegations of corruption and as Mali’s Islamic extremist crisis has deepened under his leadership.

Calls for his resignation intensified after recent protests met a violent response from security forces, leaving at least 12 people dead. Protests were put on hold during talks with mediators from the 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS but the opposition alliance known as the June 5 Movement called for protests to resume Monday after it rejected the mediators' proposals.

Amid signs of an impasse, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara also made plans to arrive Monday in Mali’s capital of Bamako. Opposition leader Choguel Maiga said the ECOWAS plan didn't go far enough when it proposed that the 75-year-old Keita share power by forming a unity government. The proposal does not reflect the goals of a movement “supported by the overwhelming majority of the Malian people," he said.

However, ECOWAS does not see Keita's negotiated exit as a possibility, chair Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said. "The resignation of the Malian president is a red line for us, but everything else is negotiable,” he said Sunday.

Unlike some uprisings in West Africa, the crisis in Mali involves a president who was elected — and then re-elected — in elections deemed fair and transparent. Forcing the president to step down because of growing unpopularity could set a dangerous precedent for other leaders in the region.

Also among the suggestions from the ECOWAS team were some already endorsed by Keita: resolving the dispute over 31 contested legislative races several months after Mali's constitutional court issued official results.

The president has dissolved the controversial court, one of the protesters' key demands. Keita has said he is opening to re-holding the legislative election in those contested areas though no concrete plan has been laid out yet. The mediators, though, said their recommendations should be put into place this month.

The powerful regional bloc has a long history in mediating in Mali. It helped bring about a return to democracy in 2013, a year after a military coup deposed the president of a decade. France led a military operation to oust jihadists from northern Mali not long before Keita took office in 2013. In the years since, those militants have continued to launch attacks on Malian forces and U.N. peacekeepers. Islamic extremists also have gained a foothold in central Mali where their presence has inflamed tensions between ethnic groups.

Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.

Protesters loot office of Mali president's political party

July 12, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Protesters ransacked a building belonging to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's political party on Sunday, underscoring the tensions that remain in Mali, even after the president met one of their top demands.

The latest unrest at a neighborhood headquarters for Keita's RPM party came as mourners returned from funerals to bury several of the victims who have died during political demonstrations in recent days, witnesses said.

Only hours earlier, the president had announced in a televised speech that he had dissolved the constitutional court as demanded by the opposition movement and was willing to consider re-doing contested legislative elections.

The movement's leaders are no longer calling for the resignation of Keita, who has three years left in his final term. But Sunday's unrest showed there are still elements deeply dissatisfied with his leadership.

Eleven people were killed in the violent demonstrations held Friday and Saturday, officials said. The police crackdown now threatens to further escalate the crisis, with one political party already criticizing the government for deploying anti-terrorism forces to the streets during the demonstrations.

Dissolving Mali's constitutional court had been a top demand for the protesters because the body had released official results from legislative elections this spring that now are being disputed by several dozen candidates. Keita also told Malians he was willing to consider re-doing the legislative elections in those areas, saying such concessions are needed to save Mali from further violence.

“We must go beyond ourselves and only consider Mali,” the president said in his televised address late Saturday. The president, who was elected in 2013 and won a second term five years later, had promised last week to dissolve the court. Demonstrators, though, have said they also want the National Assembly dissolved, a move Keita has yet to endorse.

On Friday, thousands marched through the streets of the capital, even briefly occupying the state television offices. The unrest in the capital continued Saturday, when police fired tear gas on crowds that were smaller than the day before.

All scenarios are still possible in Mali, where the last democratically elected president was overthrown in a military coup in 2012, said Baba Dakono, a researcher and political analyst. “It is difficult now to say whether President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita can still benefit from the support of the army,” Dakono said.

Even if senior military officers are loyal to Keita's government, lower-ranking officers and army rank-and-file can be unpredictable, he said. When Keita was elected in 2013, a French-led military operation had ousted Islamic extremists from key towns in northern Mali just months earlier. In the seven years since, though, those militants have regrouped and continue to launch deadly attacks on Malian forces despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers, French troops and regional forces.

The violence wracked by extremists also has greatly expanded into central Mali during Keita's presidency, fueling tensions between ethnic groups seen as allying with the jihadists and those seen as loyal to the Malian government.

Last year was particularly deadly as hundreds of soldiers were killed in the north, forcing the military at one point to close down some of its most remote and vulnerable outposts. It prompted criticism of how Keita's government has handled the crisis. A similar wave of violence targeting Malian soldiers in the north, launched by separatist rebels, precipitated the 2012 coup that overthrew President Amadou Toumani Toure.

The coup's leader later handed over power to a transitional civilian government following international pressure, and democratic elections were then organized which Keita won.

Associated Press Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.

Mali leader promises court changes in bid to quell protests

July 09, 2020

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — In a televised midnight speech, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita promised early Thursday to reform the country's constitutional court in a bid to quell another round of protests calling for his resignation.

The change to the court's makeup is among the demands being sought by Keita's opponents, who already have taken to the streets twice in recent weeks in a show of his mounting unpopularity. Another demonstration was scheduled for Friday.

It was not immediately clear whether the 75-year-old president's overtures would satisfy opposition leaders who also have called for the National Assembly to be dissolved among other demands. “In the hours and days to come, the constitutional court will be reconvened and put into operation as soon as possible,” Keita said in his address.

The court is at the heart of the growing political dispute because it declared official results after legislative elections were held in April. Several dozen candidates maintain the court's official results differed from polling station tallies.

A mission from the regional bloc known as ECOWAS already has suggested the government re-hold elections in the localities where results are contested. The opposition also has been fueled by anger over the Malian government's inability to quell violence in the north more than seven years after a French-led military operation ousted Islamic extremists from power. The army has suffered a wave of deadly attacks over the past year on its outposts.

Keita, who is due to step down in 2023, became president the year after Mali’s president of a decade was overthrown in a coup. That crisis created a power vacuum that allowed the Islamic insurgency to take hold in Mali's north. The coup leader later handed over power to a civilian transitional government but only after international pressure to do so.

French president says 33 jihadists killed in central Mali

December 21, 2019

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — French forces have killed 33 Islamic extremists in central Mali, French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday. He made the announcement on the second day of his three-day trip to West Africa that has been dominated by the growing threat posed by jihadist groups.

In a tweet, Macron said he was “proud of our soldiers who protect us.” Two Malian gendarmes also were rescued in the operation, he said. France has some 4,500 military personnel in West and Central Africa, much of which was ruled by France during colonialism. The French led a military operation in 2013 to dislodge Islamic extremists from power in several major towns across Mali's north.

In the ensuing years the militants have regrouped and pushed further into central Mali, where Saturday morning's operation was carried out. On Friday evening, Macron met with French military personnel stationed in Ivory Coast, which shares a long border with volatile Mali and Burkina Faso. Later in the day Saturday he is to highlight a new effort being launched: The International Academy to Fight Terrorism will focus on regional strategies and training those involved in the fight against extremism, according to the French presidency.

France: Military helicopters in Mali crash not under fire

November 29, 2019

PARIS (AP) — France’s army chief of staff is dismissing an Islamic State group affiliate’s claim that it caused a helicopter collision in Mali that killed 13 soldiers. Gen. Francois Lecointre on Friday told French radio RFI that no shots were fired at the helicopters. The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has claimed responsibility but offered no evidence.

Lecointre said complex coordination during a combat operation was the cause of Monday night’s accident in the West African nation. He said the helicopters’ flight data recorders will provide more details, saying the soldiers’ families are owed the truth about what happened.

It was France’s highest military death toll in nearly four decades. The crash drew global attention to an emerging front for IS-linked groups as IS loses strength in Syria and Iraq.

French defense minister visits Mali after 13 soldiers killed

November 27, 2019

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — France’s defense minister Florence Parly arrived in northern Mali on Wednesday after a helicopter collision killed 13 French soldiers fighting Islamic State group-linked extremists, while some in the West African country debated France’s military presence.

The Monday crash on a moonless night led to France’s highest military death toll in nearly four decades. An investigation has begun into the cause. The military has said the helicopters were flying very low while supporting French commandos on the ground near the border with Niger.

Some in Mali in recent weeks have loudly criticized the French military’s presence as the extremist threat grows and spreads into neighboring countries. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced this year, with well over 100 Malian troops killed in the past two months alone.

Some in Mali even questioned whether the helicopter collision was an accident. In the capital, Bamako, resident Mamadou Fofana mused that it could have been a way to calm the protests and revive “compassion” for the country’s former colonizer.

Others disagreed. “France is a serious state with a reputation in the aeronautic world,” said another Bamako resident, Seydou Touré. And Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said in a statement that “Mali knows what this is costing the country to send its children to the Sahel in defense of this cause, the cause of peace.”

France’s operation in West and Central Africa is its largest overseas military mission and involves 4,500 personnel. The deaths draw new attention to a worrying front in the global fight against extremism, one in which France and local countries have pleaded for more support.

French government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the military operation during Wednesday’s weekly cabinet meeting. Macron stressed that it aims at “enhancing our own security” and providing “important support” to African countries, Ndiaye said.

A national tribute ceremony will take place Monday at the Invalides monument in Paris. Residents were bringing flowers, lighting candles and writing condolences notes at the town halls of Gap, Pau, Varces and Saint-Christol, where the soldiers were based.

French centrist senator Jean-Marie Bockel’s son was among those killed. Bockel told French news broadcaster BFM TV that his son, Pierre-Emmanuel Bockel, was on his fourth tour to Mali. He was “proud of his mission because he knew that ... if the French military leaves (Mali) tomorrow, this is chaos.”

Most French politicians have praised France’s military operation in the Sahel as key in the global fight against extremism. U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, said in a tweet that he is saddened at the news and that the U.S. sends its condolences to France and the families of those who died.

Corbet reported from Paris.

Mali's president wins runoff vote with more than 67 percent

August 16, 2018

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won a second five-year term in the turbulent West African nation with more than 67 percent of the vote in a runoff election, the Ministry of Territorial Administration said Thursday.

Opposition leader Soumaila Cisse received over 32 percent of the vote in Sunday's runoff that had an estimated turnout of 34 percent amid threats of violence from extremist groups. The turnout dropped from the first round, in which nearly 43 percent of voters made it to the polls.

The constitutional court must approve the results by Aug. 22. "We are very happy for this well-earned victory for our president," said Mahamadou Camara, spokesman for Keita. "Malians have expressed a choice which had already been evident since the first round. Our candidate came in first. We are not scared of a post-election crisis."

Cisse supporters gathered in the capital, Bamako, shouting in disappointment. The 68-year-old opposition leader has blamed Keita for the country's insecurity, and his party alleged fraud in the first round and warned against it in the runoff. It was not immediately clear whether the party would challenge the runoff's results in court.

"We are not in agreement with these results. It's Soumaila Cisse who won, and we will march in protest because IBK stole our victory," said 33-year-old Oumar Toure, referring to the president by his initials.

Cisse's campaign director, Tiebile Drame, urged supporters to protest. "Nothing was spared by the supporters of the regime to divert the vote of the Malians. We are launching a strong call for citizen mobilization to exert popular, peaceful and democratic pressure to uphold the Malian vote," Drame said.

The 73-year-old president leads a nation that has grown more insecure since he beat Cisse in a second-round election in 2013, the same year that French-backed forces pushed extremists in the north from their strongholds. He took power the year after a military coup ushered in an era of chaos that allowed the extremists to flourish.

The extremists linked to both al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization have been staging more brazen attacks that have spread into central Mali. Deadly communal clashes between ethnic groups and accusations of heavy-handed counterterror operations have caused even deeper tensions and mistrust of the state.

In northern and central Mali more than 50 polling stations had closed before noon on Sunday because of threats by extremists, according to the Citizen Observation Pool of Mali which had more than 2,000 observers.

The observers also reported several incidents of violence on voting day, including the killing of a village chairman and the harassment of at least four election workers. A number of polling stations were burned. In Bamako, voting was also hindered by rains.

Diplomats have called for calm and respect for the election results, with the United Nations urging the use of "legal and constitutional channels to settle disputes."

Malians vote in presidential runoff amid security concerns

August 12, 2018

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malians are voting Sunday in a second round presidential election to determine if incumbent Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will remain in office in this sprawling West African nation threatened by rising extremist violence. He faces off against opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.

Sunday's polls opened to light rain and light turnout. Many worry that the vote could be marred by violence. In the July 29 first-round presidential vote, extremists killed three election workers and destroyed some voting materials.

Nearly 43 percent of voters made it to the polls last month and despite the relatively low turnout officials called the vote well-conducted. Mali has grown more insecure since Keita beat Cisse in a second round election in 2013.

Extremists are staging more bold attacks that have spread to central Mali, where both Islamic State and al-Qaida-linked militants are present. Deadly communal clashes between ethnic groups and accusations of heavy-handed counterterror operations have caused even deeper tensions and mistrust of the state.

Still, a second term for Keita, 73, seems likely. He received 41.7 percent of the vote in the first round from a field of 24 candidates and has gained endorsements from some other candidates. Cisse, 68, who placed second in the first round with nearly 18 percent of the vote, has blamed Keita for insecurity, violence and corruption. His opposition party also alleges there was voting fraud in July. Cisse has not received major endorsements from failed candidates but does have the backing of a popular spiritual leader Mohamed Ould Bouye Haidara.

"This time, I have a good feeling," Cisse has said. His campaign director Tiebile Drame charged there were cases of stuffing of ballot boxes in several northern locations. However the constitutional court on Wednesday said it has registered more than 10 requests from the opposition over various anomalies in the first round, but most were declared inadmissible.

On Saturday, the opposition organized a march "to warn against the fraud." It's likely voter turnout will remain low. Some people have fled areas of violence until the vote is over. In central Mali, attacks have become more frequent amid communal clashes as neighbors suspect one another of being recruited by extremist groups. Meanwhile, Malian soldiers in recent months have been accused of abuses, including extrajudicial killings, during counterterror operations.

On Wednesday, armed men attacked the Boni prefecture, according to a Malian security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not permitted to speak to the press. The armed men killed the prefect's secretary.

Malian authorities have tried to reassure the public and encourage them to go to the polls for the second round. Residents in central Mali, however, have said they don't see the increased security. Many in the municipalities of Pignariba, Lowel-Gueou and Bara-Sara have said they likely won't be able to vote.

Mali votes in presidential election amid insecurity

July 29, 2018

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Thousands of Malians voted in presidential elections Sunday in the capital, but others struggled in parts of the country's north where some ballot boxes were burned and in the central region where voters feared threats by extremist groups.

Voters have expressed concern about being targeted after al-Qaida's Mali branch have warned for months against going to the polls. Deadly communal clashes between ethnic groups and accusations of heavy-handed counterterror operations have complicated what President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita hopes will be an election victory leading him to a second term.

The 73-year-old, who was elected in 2013, faces 23 candidates in the first round. As he voted in Bamako, Keita commended Malians on a successful and peaceful day of voting. "It is a real pleasure for me to perform this citizen act, and it is the start of victory for the people of Mali, who have voted in calm and serenity," he said. "This vote will have demonstrated our democratic maturity and our status as a great people."

His main challenger is 68-year-old Soumaila Cisse, his rival in 2013, who has criticized the president for not addressing Mali's rising insecurity. No polling stations opened in some central Mali Fulani villages under the control of jihadists, including Yamassadiou and Onde. And despite the presence of Mali's army in Boulikessi, stations didn't open there, said a security official in the region who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't permitted to speak to the press.

Only a few stations were closed in Douentza district in Mali's central Mopti region, where armed men kidnapped the head of a polling station in Gandamia village, the official said. Though that particular station reopened, people fear going to the polls.

Opposition leader Cisse, who voted in his village, Niafounke in the Timbuktu region, said that in Dianke, ballot boxes were taken away. He also said that ballot materials for another village Berre, remained in Timbuktu.

"Despite the difficulties of insecurity and transport, it was a duty for me to come and vote here with the people who trust me," Cisse said. "Malians must vote, it is very important. Each Malian must also be vigilant against attempts of electoral fraud. There must be transparency."

Several political parties have expressed doubts about a valid election after duplicate and fictitious polling stations were listed on the electoral commission's website. The government and the electoral commission have promised a smooth vote, but many in Mali are still worried about postelection violence should Keita win in the first round.

"I voted, but all that people are saying is worrying me. I do hope there won't be an election crisis," said 67-year-old Ibrahim Traore. More than 8 million voters are registered. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent in the first round, Malians will vote in a second round on Aug. 12.

Experts say Mali is less secure than in 2013, when French-backed forces pushed extremists in the north from their strongholds. A more assertive response by Mali's security forces to the attacks has led to accusations by human rights groups of extrajudicial killings. In some areas neighbors have turned on each other, amid suspicions of influence by extremist groups.

Oumar Toure, a leader of a local civic association in Mopti, said things have shifted there. "The current president IBK considers Mopti region his enemy, and he left it ... that's why all the insecurity of the north has come to settle here," said Toure. "In Mopti, it's the law of the strongest."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Malians to maintain a peaceful course and said in a statement Saturday he was encouraged by a peaceful campaigning period, despite security challenges in the north and center.

"The Secretary-General urges all political actors in Mali to commit to making this poll a peaceful, free and transparent process, and to resolve any possible dispute through the appropriate institutions in accordance with the law," his statement said.

Meanwhile, Iyad Ag Ghaley, the leader of al-Qaida's Mali branch known by its French acronym JNIM, sent a message on Telegram and Twitter saying that his organization opposes the elections.

AP writer Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed

Gunmen attack resort in Mali's capital, killing 2

June 19, 2017

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Jihadis attacked a hotel resort Sunday in Mali's capital, taking hostages at a spot popular with foreigners on the weekends. More than 30 people managed to escape though at least two people were killed, authorities said.

Moussa Ag Infahi, director of the national police, told The Associated Press that three of the assailants had been killed while a fourth escaped. Gunfire first rang out at the Campement Kangaba on the outskirts of Bamako in the late afternoon, according to a security guard who was working at the time.

Mahamadou Doumbia said a militant on a motorcycle entered the area around 3:40 p.m. and cried "Allah Akbar" before jumping off and running toward the pool area. "Then a car with three jihadis entered the resort and they started to fire their weapons," he said. "A French soldier who had come for the weekend but had his gun shot and wounded" a jihadi.

Mali's security minister later issued a statement confirming at least two deaths, one of which was a dual French-Gabonese citizen. As night fell, witnesses saw smoke rising from the Campement Kangaba, which features three swimming pools and is a popular escape from the Malian heat. It was not immediately clear what was burning, although extremists in other attacks have set cars ablaze.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place amid the final week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In predominantly Muslim Mali, people have been fasting from sunrise to sundown for three weeks.

Sunday's violence came about a week after the U.S. State Department warned of possible attacks on Western diplomatic missions and other locations in Bamako that Westerners frequent. A U.N. official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to journalists said those at the resort when the attack began included people affiliated with the French military mission, as well as the U.N. and European Union missions in the country.

Religious extremism in Mali once was limited to northern areas, prompting the French military in 2013 to lead a military operation to oust jihadis from power in the major towns in the north. But the militants have continued targeting Malian forces and peacekeepers, making it the deadliest U.N. mission in the world.

There are no French troops based in Bamako, but about 2,000 French troops are based in northern Mali fighting Islamic extremists. French President Emmanuel Macron was informed about the attack and was following the events carefully, according to an official in his office.

In recent years, the extremists have become even more brazen, attacking sites frequented by Westerners. In March 2015, five people died when militants hit a popular restaurant in the capital. A devastating attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako later that year left 20 dead - six Malians and 14 foreigners.

That attack was jointly claimed by both the regional al-Qaida affiliate and a group known as Al Mourabitoun, which was founded by Moktar Belmoktar after he fell out with al-Qaida leaders. In a video released in March, jihadis said those two were joining together along with two Mali-based terror groups.

Associated Press writers Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.