After severe unrest: How Mali's President is trying to the protesters to calm

For weeks, shake the heavy unrest in Mali. At the end of last week the Situation in the West has escalated in the African country: the protesters occupied the building of the state broadcasting Corporation, set up roadblocks and tried to local journalists, according to to storm the Parliament. The police and the military responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition. According to the Physicians area of the capital, Bamako, have been killed in large since Friday, eleven people, and more than 120 injured. There are a number of prominent opposition were detained politicians, many of them members of the opposition movement M5.

Thilo Thielke

Free Rapporteur for Africa, based in Cape town.

at Least one government opponent has died according to eye witnesses his gunshot wounds in front of the mosque of Imam Mahmoud Dicko. Dicko is one of the most powerful opponents of the 75-year-old President Ibrahim Boubakar Keïta. He accuses him and his Cabinet of corruption, nepotism and electoral fraud and regularly calls for protests against the government.

Keïta announced meanwhile, the Opposition to meet. In the night of Sunday, he announced in a speech to the Nation, he will finish the term of office of the Malian Constitution, judges and the authorities to engage, to appoint in the coming days of the new judges. In addition, he will lead the Opposition talks about the formation of a joint government. In it representatives of the various political currents to be represented.

Opposition accuses government of electoral manipulation

The protests after the parliamentary elections in April has begun. From your Keïtas party, the Rassemblement pour le Mali, as the winner had emerged and had received 43 of 143 Seats in the national Assembly. The Opposition questioned the legality of the election, would actually have to take place in 2018, but has been repeatedly postponed, and accused the government of massive Manipulation. The constitutional court declared the result is still valid.