Mali’s interim president Assimi Goita attacked with knife during Eid-al-Adha prayers
Interim president Assimi Goita was sworn into office last month despite facing a diplomatic backlash over his second power grab in nine months.
CAPE TOWN, July 20 (ANA) – Two armed men, including one who wielded a knife, attacked Mali’s interim president Assimi Goita on Tuesday during Eid-al-Adha prayers in the Great Mosque in the capital Bamako.
According to a report by AFP, the interim president has since been removed from the scene and taken to a place of safety.
The interim president was sworn into office last month despite facing a diplomatic backlash over his second power grab in nine months, local media reported.
The political landscape in the West African country remains volatile after the overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August, which saw military officers detaining the president, prime minister, several cabinet members and generals during the coup.
The coup, which was led by Goita, was widely condemned by the international community, with the main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), suspending Mali from its institutions, shutting borders and halting financial flows with the country, according to news broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Mali has been under a transitional government for 18 months.
Keita, whose term was set to expire in 2023, later announced that he was resigning from his post to avoid bloodshed in the country.
In May, Goita, who was serving as Mali’s vice-president under transitional President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, once again seized power after accusing them of failing to consult him about a cabinet reshuffle.
According to not-for-profit news outlet The Conversation, in May Ndaw and Ouane were arrested by members of the armed forces and taken to the Soundiata Keita military facility in Kati, a camp that has been at the heart of every coup that has taken place in the country.
According to a spokesperson for the military junta, known as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), barely two days after their arrest, both Ndaw and Ouane resigned as transitional president and prime minister, respectively.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher