Mali: Ex-President Toure Given State Burial Tuesday - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Editor 01
November 17, 2020
Toure, sometimes called Mali’s soldier of democracy, died on November 10 at the age of 72 after he had been transferred to Turkey for medical care following heart surgery.
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.
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.
Toure, a former soldier, first took charge of the country for a year in 1991.
He helped overthrow the iron-fisted regime of Moussa Traore, who had been in power since 1968.