Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has named a new prime minister to replace Moussa Mara, who resigned with his government Thursday.
The new prime minister is Modibo Keita, a top government negotiator with Tuareg Muslim rebels at peace talks in Algeria. He’s not related to the president. This is his second round as prime minister; he served for three months in 2002 under then-President Alpha Oumar Konare, Reuters reported.
He shares the same name as Mali's first president, who led the country from 1960 to 1968.
Keita is the third prime minister to be appointed since the president took office in September 2013, The Associated Press observed.
Political observers in Mali attribute the change in government to the slow pace of the talks and allegations of corruption involving the purchase of weapons and a jet — prompting the International Monetary Fund to suspend aid to Mali.
An uprising by Tuareg rebels, followed by Malian soldiers’ mutiny in 2012, led the government to fall apart.
Islamic rebels took advantage of the chaos to seize control of northern Mali. A French force ousted the Islamists, who still carry out occasional attacks.
Some information for this report was contributed by The Associated Press and Reuters.
