JOHANNESBURG—Mali’s president resigned after renegade soldiers had detained him, the prime minister and dozens of other senior officials in what appeared to be a coup attempt following months of antigovernment demonstrations. “I wish no blood to be shed to keep me in power,” President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said on national broadcaster ORTM, according to the Associated Press. Mr. Keita’s domestic popularity has tumbled since he rode to power following a military coup in 2012, with tens of thousands flooding the capital in recent months to call for his ouster. But he remains strongly backed by Western leaders, including the U.S. and France, the former colonial power in the West African country. Military leaders have complained of failings in the government’s counterterror policy, while soldiers said they haven’t received regular pay nor adequate equipment to fight the jihadists.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 18, 2020 19:30 UTC