Mali PM and government quits after six months

Mali’s prime minister and his entire government has resigned after less than six months in office, according to a presidential statement, with no explanation given.

The prime minister, Oumar Tatam Ly, submitted the entire government’s resignation to the president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, on Saturday, the president’s office said in a statement on state television.

Keita’s office said Moussa Mara, formerly the town planning minister, would become the country’s new prime minister.

“The president of the republic has brought to an end the duties of Oumar Tatam Ly, upon receipt of the resignation of the government of the republic,” the statement said.

But it gave no details about the reasons for the government’s resignation.

Mara, a political veteran who ran against Keita in Mali’s August presidential election, will be responsible for appointing new ministers, though no timeframe was given for these appointments.

Keita was elected in August last year, following a campaign that focused on law, order and ending corruption in public office.

Keita was elected in the first presidential polls since 2007, which were viewed as key in unlocking more than $4bn in aid promised by international donors who halted contributions in the wake of the coup.

He appointed Ly, a leading economist, as prime minister in September 2013, as the troubled nation began to set up a government charged with moving forward from months of political chaos and war.

Mali plunged into chaos in early 2012 after a Tuareg rebellion, which was followed by a military coup.

The Tuareg, a nomadic group, seized control of an area larger than France before being ousted by al-Qaeda-linked groups who imposed a brutal interpretation of Islamic law on the local population, carrying out amputations and executions.

These actions prompted France to launch a military intervention in its former colony last January.