Former Malian Prime Minister, Modibo Keita has died at the age of 78, the country’s interim leader, Moctar Ouane has announced.
Ouane made the announcement on Saturday in a tweet via his official Twitter handle.
The cause of Keita’s death was not mentioned by Ouane in the announcement, as Africa records yet another high profile loss.
“I am distressed this morning by the news of the death of PM Modibo KEÏTA. I salute the memory of the great clerk of the State and of the man steeped in our ancestral values of probity, honor and dignity. I express my heartfelt condolences to his family and pray for the rest of his soul.”
The announcement of Keita’s death has come just a day after the burial of opposition leader, Soumaila Cisse, who died of coronavirus in December.
In other high profile losses in Mali in the last four months, former President Amadou Toumani Toure died in November, while ex-dictator Moussa Traore passed on in September.
Keita was one of the six Prime Ministers who served ousted President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. He was notable for brokering deals between the notorious Tuareg rebels terrorising the North of the country.
A former school teacher, Keita rose to prominence when he joined politics, as he served as Prime Minister and in an ambassadorial position.