UN Visits Ousted Mali President, Boubacar Keita

A team from the United Nations (UN) has visited the deposed President of Mali, Boubacar Keita.

The UN officials visited Kati a military base near the capital Bamako where the detainees were taken during Tuesday’s coup in the troubled West African country.

“Last night, a team from MINUSMA #HumanRights went to #Kati in the framework of its mandate to protect human rights and was able to gain access to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and other detainees,” the UN peacekeeping mission said.

Speaking separately, a member of the military junta stated that it had authorized a UN human rights mission to visit all 19 prisoners in Kati, including Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse.

He said the former economy minister Abdoulaye Daffe and Sabane Mahalmoudou, Keita’s private secretary have been released.

“Two prisoners have been released. There are still 17 in Kati. This is the proof that we respect human rights,” the junta member said.

Meanwhile, ECOWAS has given marching directives to the leaders of the coup.

Speaking on the next line of action the West African bloc demanded the reinstatement of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as Mali’s president amid growing concerns about regional stability.

Leaders of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) who convened over the crisis on Thursday, after it suspended Mali, shut off borders and halted financial flows in response to Tuesday’s overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.