Several tens of thousands of people gathered on Friday, June 19, in the center of Bamako to demand the departure of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, at the call of a motley coalition formed in recent weeks against the Head of State, AFP journalists found.

This is the second major demonstration in two weeks against the Malian president, nicknamed "IBK", after the one which had already gathered tens of thousands of people on June 5 in the Malian capital and which gave its name to the dispute , "Movement of June 5 - Rally of the Patriotic Forces" (M5-RFP).

>> See: Thousands of Malians call for IBK departure from June 5 demonstration

After a prayer led by an imam on Independence Square, the national anthem resounded, then the din of the vuvuzelas took over, while the demonstrators carried signs which included the words "IBK clears" or "The dictatorship will not pass".

No count of the number of demonstrators was available from the police and organizers, but the rally seems at least as important as that of June 5, according to AFP correspondents.

A rigorous and patriotic imam at the head of the dispute

A sign of growing political tensions in Mali in recent weeks, this movement expresses the exasperation fueled by the thousands of victims in recent years of jihadist attacks and inter-community violence, by the feeling of the powerlessness of the state, the economic slump, the public service and school crisis and the perception of widespread corruption.

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At the head of the M5-RFP, which brings together religious leaders and personalities from civil society as well as from the political world, is a man with growing influence, Mahmoud Dicko, imam rigorist and patriot, former ally of President IBK now stupid black of power.

This new show of force comes after a week of all-out talks that failed to ease tensions.

With AFP

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