Former Malian leader dies

* Mali's former President Ibrahim Keita, who led the West African country from 2013 until he was ousted in a coup in 2020, died at the age of 76 in the capital Bamako yesterday. Looming over most of Keita's presidency was the jihadist insurgency that has rocked Mali since 2012, while his toppling marked the rise of the military junta which is now under regional sanctions for failing to restore civilian rule. The cause of Keita's death was not given.