Mali reinstates PM in a bid to usher in new cabinet

Mali's Prime Minister Moctar Ouane resigned from the government on Friday and was later reinstated in the same position, according to the Malian presidency.

Ouane has now been tasked to form a new "broad-based" cabinet amid a deteriorating social climate, less than a year before elections.

Consultations between President Bah Ndaw began on Thursday on the composition of the next government.

The military that overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18, 2020, continues to dominate the transitional authorities installed in September 2020.

Since August 2020, Mali has witnessed a lengthy political crisis following the ousting of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Observers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc were in Mali to oversee the progress made in election and boundary reforms.

The colonels who overthrew Keita have pledged to return power to elected civilian leaders after a transition period of up to 18 months.