Mali’s New ‘President’ Thrashed by Protesters

Protesters Furious as Traore's Term Extended by a Year

Mali’s interim President Dioncounda Traore’s term in office was supposed to expire today, but mass protests erupted after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered him to remain in power for at least another year, pending elections.

Traore’s term extension wasn’t necessarily great news for him either, however, as the 70 year old president ended up in the hospital after being thrashed by a group of angry protesters, who burst into his office and beat him unconscious.

Apparently, some of the protesters showed up at the presidential palace today, and unsure where to go to lay a beating on Traore, they asked the soldiers guarding the palace. The soldiers, apparently not big fans of their new ECOWAS-mandated ruler either, eagerly showed them the way to his office.

Reports say Traore did not suffer any serious injuries, but did have a head wound. ECOWAS officials had left the nation shortly before the protests broke out, insisting that their order for Traore to remain in power meant their job was finished.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.