Mali govt spokesman appointed as interim PM

BAMAKO - Mali has appointed an interim prime minister to act in place of leader Choguel Maiga, who is resting amid media reports he had been hospitalised.

Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, currently government spokesman and minister of territorial administration, is the new acting prime minister, a government statement said.

Earlier this month, Paris-based Jeune Afrique magazine reported that Choguel Maiga had suffered a stroke, citing sources close to him.

One of Choguel Maiga's advisers denied this when contacted by Reuters, and his office said he would resume his duties by the following week. He did not.

Mali is governed by a military junta that came to power in a 2020 coup and has promised to organise democratic elections in 2024.

Choguel Maiga had been one of the government's most outspoken voices in repeated public rows with West African neighbours and international allies who criticised its military cooperation with Russian mercenaries and repeated election delays.

Abdoulaye Maiga has also made strong public statements as government spokesman against former colonial ruler France, including telling French President Emmanual Macron in July to abandon his "neocolonial" and "condescending" attitude.