Ibrahim Boubacar Keita released from detention, 10 days after mutinying soldiers unseated him from power. Release of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and other leaders was a continuous demand by Mali's neighbours and allies and international organisations.
Mali's new military rulers have said that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was detained during the country's coup on August 18, had been freed.
The junta, which calls itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), said on Facebook it was "informing public and international opinion that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been released and is currently in his residence."
Keita's release had been a key demand of Mali's neighbours and international organisations, including the African Union and European Union.
"President IBK is free in his movements, he's at home," a spokesman for the junta, Djibrila Maiga, told AFP news agency, referring to Keita by his initials, as many Malians do.
A Keita relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 75-year-old former leader had returned overnight to his house in the Sebenikoro district of the capital Bamako.
The junta leaders say they mutinied because the country was sinking into chaos and insecurity which they said was largely the fault of poor government.
They have promised to oversee a transition to elections within a "reasonable" amount of time.
Released after ECOWAS mediation
Keita, prime minister Boubou Cisse and other senior officials were seized by rebel troops led by young officers who staged a mutiny at a base near Bamako.
In the early hours of August 19, Keita appeared on national TV to announce his resignation, saying he had had no other choice, and wanted to avoid "bloodshed."
The release of Keita and other leaders has been demanded by Mali's neighbours and allies and international organisations.
Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, heading a team from the regional bloc ECOWAS, was given access to Keita last Saturday, and said he seemed "very fine."
The CNSP told a delegation of West African mediators that they want to stay in power for a three-year transition period, Nigeria said on Wednesday.
In contrast, the regional bloc is seeking for a transitional government of no more than one year.
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