Mali’s leader ‘safe’ after Eid prayers knife attack
Written by Mafken FM Newsroom on 20 July 2021
Mali’s President Assimi Goïta is “safe and sound” after an attacker armed with a knife lunged at him at a mosque in the capital, Bamako, his office has said.
An AFP journalist at the Grande Mosque in Bamako where Col Goïta had joined other worshippers for Eid ul-Adha prayers said the president was attacked by two men, but only one was wielding a knife.
A statement from the presidency said the attacker was immediately apprehended.
AFP has shared a picture of Col Goita waving after incident:
The incident is another worrying in a country facing mounting security challenges, including a jihadist insurgency.
Col Goïta declared himself president in May after ousting the interim government that had been installed after he led a coup against former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta last year
