Ousted Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita left the country on Saturday for medical treatment in Abu Dhabi, an adviser said, as talks about a transition back to civilian rule following last month’s military coup got off to a chaotic start.
Keita, 75, was hospitalized in the capital Bamako on Tuesday, six days after he was released from detention by the ruling junta, which seized power on August 18.
His former chief of staff, Mamadou Camara, told Reuters that Keita left Bamako on Saturday evening aboard a plane chartered by the United Arab Emirates at the request of Mali’s ruling junta.
“It is a medical visit of between 10 and 15 days,” Camara said.
Keita’s medical condition is unclear. He had a benign tumor removed from his neck in 2016.
West African leaders, fearing the coup could set a precedent that would undermine their power and an international fight against Islamist militants in the wider Sahel region, initially insisted Keita be restored to power.
But they have since dropped that demand and are now calling for elections within a year: a timeline the junta, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), has not committed to.
The junta began talks with opposition groups on Saturday on its promise to hand power back to civilians amid mounting pressure from neighboring countries.
The talks in Bamako are being held under junta chief Assimi Goita but he was not present Saturday, a military source said.
“Since August 18, we are charting a new history for our country,” junta number two Malick Diaw told the opening session.
The summit had originally been planned for last weekend but was called off at the last minute after a quarrel between the military and the June 5 Movement.
