Mali holds state funeral for ex-president Toure | READ DETAILS
chuks oti
Nov 17, 2020
Mali held a state funeral on Tuesday for former president Amadou Toumani Toure, an emblematic figure who steered the troubled nation to free elections and led it for a decade before being ousted in a coup.
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Toure, sometimes called Mali's "soldier of democracy,ÔÇØ died on November 10 at the age of 72 after he had been transferred to Turkey for medical care following heart surgery.
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A coffin draped in the national flag and borne by six soldiers was slowly carried into the centre of a square in the capital Mali for ceremonies attended by the leaders of the country's latest putsch and by foreign dignitaries.
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"A great man has fallen,ÔÇØ the master of ceremonies declared.
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"It is an incalculable loss for Mali. He came bringing the breath of life, he leaves with the wind of hope.ÔÇØ
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Those in the VIP stand included Bah Ndaw, a former military officer who is currently president of Mali's transitional government, and the vice president, Assimi Goita, who led the August 18 coup.
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Niger and Guinea-Bissau were represented by their prime ministers, and other countries in the region sent their envoys.
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Ceremonies were to conclude with a parade by troops and aircraft, according to the programme.
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Toure, a former soldier, first took charge of the country for a year in 1991.
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He helped overthrow the iron-fisted regime of Moussa Traore, who had been in power since 1968.
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He then took the helm of a transitional committee, exercising the duties of head of state and steering the country to elections.
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These were won in 1992 by Alpha Oumar Konare - the first democratically-chosen president in Mali's post-independence history.
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Universally known by his initials as ATT, Toure won presidential elections in 2002 and again in 2007.
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His presidency was abruptly curtailed in 2012 by rebel troops who accused Toure of failing to support their battle against Tuareg and jihadist insurgents in the north of the country.
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Toure fled to Senegal, only returning from exile in 2017.
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The chaos that followed his downfall wrecked Mali's poorly-equipped and demoralised army.
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The jihadists swiftly overran the north of the country before being forced out in 2013 by French intervention.
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They regrouped and advanced into central Mali, a flashpoint region where they ignited ethnic conflict, and then headed into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
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Thousands have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
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— chuks oti