Mali opposition leader goes missing

The leader of Mali’s Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD) party, Soumaïla Cissé, has gone missing while on the campaign trail.

Mr Cissé was petitioning for votes in the central Niafunke region ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections when he lost contact with his party.

He and his delegation were expected in the nearby village of Koumaira on Wednesday evening but they never showed up and were not reachable by telephone, URD said. 

“The party is deeply worried about the situation and urges the government, the armed forces and UN mission to help trace them,” a spokesperson said. 

Mr Cissé is a former minister of finance and has run for president on three occasions in 2002, 2013, and 2018. 

Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has said the elections will go ahead on 29th March, despite growing concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

Mali has declared a state of emergency over the outbreak and imposed a curfew from 21:00 to 05:00. The country recorded its first cases of the disease on Thursday. 

Photo: Getty Images