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The military officer who overthrew Mali’s elected government last year, Col. Assimi Goita, this week deposed the civilian president and prime minister of the transitional authority he helped install in the aftermath of the coup, creating a new political crisis in the West African country.
Goita, who had been serving as vice president in the interim government, declared himself president Thursday and promised to adhere to an 18-month transition to civilian rule that is scheduled to culminate in national elections in February 2022.