Mali ex-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita dies at 76

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died nearly 18 months after he was ousted in a military coup. He was 76. Keita’s death was announced Sunday in Bamako. Keita had been battling health problems in recent years. He won the historic 2013 presidential election held to restore democracy after a 2012 coup. But only seven years later he was ousted by another military takeover following months of public demonstrations against his presidency. His death early Sunday was announced in an alert by the state broadcaster ORTM. It comes as the sprawling African nation faces a deepening political crisis. The coup leader who ousted Keita has no immediate plans for a return to democracy as initially promised.