Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, the ousted leader of Mali, has been hospitalized.
Keïta was admitted to a private clinic and his condition is currently unknown according to The Associated Press.
Upon hearing the news, Mali’s former minister Bandiougou Bidia Doucoure stated that “the Malians should not accept the president (IBK) to die here. Six months after having accepted that he goes where he wants to be treated, no one wishes his death. So he must re-establish himself and then, if there will be judgment tomorrow or after tomorrow, that is more normal.”
Last week, Keïta was freed from detention after being abducted and held for ten days by Mali coup leaders. During his confinement, he was compelled to resign from his position.
“For seven years I have with great joy and happiness tried to put this country back on its feet,” Keïta said in a televised address to the nation. “If today some people from the armed forces have decided to end it by their intervention, do I have a choice? I should submit to it because I don’t want any blood to be shed.”
The group also seized Keïta’s prime minister, Boubou Cissé, and several other high-ranking government officials.
A mediation delegation led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan met with Keïta while he was in military confinement. After speaking with the former president, Jonathan informed reporters that Keïta did not wish to return to power once released.
Nouhoum Sarr, one of the leaders of M5 Rally for Patriotic Forces who called for Keïta’s resignation, sent a warm message to his political rival.
“Beyond the political differences we may have had, the humanitarian issue transcends all of this. He is a compatriot, he is a human being. We wish him good health and a quick recovery in our own establishment and we believe that if the specialists in our country do not allow his health to be taken care of, beyond any political consideration, then he can be evacuated.”
