Jonathan Arrives Mali As Explosion Kills Four Soldiers

Former President Goodluck Jonathan and other West African leaders have arrived in Bamako, the capital of Mali.

Jonathan, who is the ECOWAS Special Envoy on the crisis in Mali, is leading the delegation.

The delegation arrived in the country on Saturday afternoon as part of measures aimed at restoring the country to civilian rule after a military coup.

The coup ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Tuesday last week.

The delegation is on a mission to meet with members of the new junta as well Keita.

Soldiers had seized Keita from his home following months of protests demanding his removal from office.

There was widespread jubilation by anti-government demonstrators, but colonial master, France, and other allies were alarmed by the development.

In a post he made on his facebook page on Saturday, Jonathan expressed optimism that peace would be restored to the troubled nation.

He said, “We arrived in Bamako this afternoon to continue with the Ecowas_Cedeao mediation and peace talks towards resolving Mali’s protracted political crisis and restoring normalcy in this beautiful West African country. We will continue to engage Malian stakeholders as brothers and sisters until lasting peace is found.”

Meanwhile, four Malian soldiers have been killed with one injured after an explosive device detonated as their vehicle drove in the centre of Bamako on Saturday.

The explosion occurred in the Koro region, a border between Mali and Burkina Faso.

Keita, who was democratically elected in 2013 and re-elected five years later, was left with few choices after soldiers seized weapons from the armoury in the garrison town of Kati and  advanced on the capital, Bamako.

The Prime Minister, Boubou Cisse, was also taken into custody by the soldiers along with the President.

The political crisis in the country followed months of turmoil after disputed legislative elections.

It also came as a result of declining support for Keita amid criticism of his government’s handling of the insurgency, which has engulfed a country once praised as a model of democracy in the region.