Former President of Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died at the age of 76, former justice minister from his government Kassoum Tapo has stated. He died in the morning at his home in Bamako, several family members told AFP.
Keita suffered a stroke on 1 September 2021 and was sent to Abu Dhabi for treatment. He returned home on 21 October after undergoing treatment in the UAE. It is unclear so far if his death was related to the stroke he suffered in 2021.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita had served as president since 2013, but was forced out of power by the country's military in 2020 after popular protests rocked the streets of Mali's cities throughout the year. The protesters demanded that the president expel the French troops that have been deployed for years to combat Islamist insurgents, who snatched large areas of northern and central Mali.
Keita was arrested by mutinying soldiers on 18 August and resigned the next day, adding that he wanted "no blood to be spilled" in his defence.
An army spokesman announced on 27 August 2020 that Keita had been released, but remained under house arrest and was limited in outside communications. The military cleared him for travel to the UAE for treatment in September 2021, but said he had to return in three months.