SAN FRANCISCO, August 27, (THEWILL) – Karim Keita, the son of deposed Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita who became a focus of public anger over his lifestyle, has fled the country.
“He left Mali two days ago by road. He called me. He is fine”, said a Malian MP close to Karim.
The MP said that Karim could be in neighbouring Burkina Faso or Ivory Coast, while a member of the Keita family, speaking on condition of anonymity said he was “not in Morocco”.
“Soldiers came to arrest his bodyguard and we realised he was in danger. He’s been out of the country for two days,” a family member added.
An African diplomatic source said that Karim was “in a neighbouring country.”
The junta said on Thursday that it had freed his 75-year-old father, who had announced his resignation hours after the coup
ALSO READ::Mali Junta Frees Ousted President Keita
The president was arrested along with other government members during the country’s military coup on August 18, but Karim disappeared from view, apparently escaping arrest.
Karim, in his early 40s, was painted as a person of loose morals living the high life while his impoverished country suffered.
Public pressure prompted Karim to resign in July from the chairmanship of the National Assembly’s Defence Committee, although he clung on to his parliamentary seat.
About the Author
