As the violence continues in Mali with the protesters demanding action after almost 160 people were massacred last month, the Prime Minister and his entire government have resigned.
the Prime Minister of Mali Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga was blamed on Wednesday by the parliament for failing to handle the unrest as a motion of no confidence was submitted.
Over 160 Fulani herders are believed to have been killed last month by an ethnic vigilante group.
Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said that he accepted the resignation of PM Maiga and his ministers according to the statement.
“A Prime Minister will be named very soon and a new government will be put in place after consultations with all political forces,” said the statement.
Since 2012 when the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist extremists entered the desert in the north of the country, Mali has been struggling to control violence.
Jihads who previously settled the northern part of the country have migrated to the more populated center of the country and despite the 2015 peace agreement and the ongoing military operation, they still dominate large parts of the country.
After the massacre of the Fulani herders in the Mopti region last month, the government came under increasing pressure over its failure to restore stability and peace in the country.
The attackers in last month’s massacre were armed with guns and machetes and they appeared to be members of the Dogon ethnic group that has been clashing with the nomadic Fulani for a long time.
Following the killings, there were protests by thousands of people who stormed the streets of the capital Bamako as the whole country was shocked by this cruel incident.
The authorities have so far detained five people who are suspected of taking part in the killings. However, they are yet to succeed in disarming the bloody group despite promises by the President and Prime Minister to do so.