Five African leaders in Mali to resolve political crisis

Five African leaders are set to make a fresh bid to end Mali's political crisis on Thursday, following weeks of sometimes deadly protests demanding the embattled president's resignation.

In a rare joint visit, the presidents of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Niger will meet Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and members of the opposition June 5 Movement in the capital Bamako, according to an official programme.

The trip comes as the unrest has pushed Mali to the brink, with international allies and neighbours keen to avoid the conflict-torn West African country sliding into chaos.

Keita has been locked for weeks in a standoff with the June 5 Movement that spiralled into violent clashes earlier this month, leaving 11 dead. 

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The movement -- which insists that Keita resign -- has tapped into public anger over the leader's perceived failure to tackle the dire economy, corruption and an eight-year jihadist conflict.

Malians are also incensed at the disputed outcome of long-delayed parliamentary elections in March and April that handed victory to Keita's party. 

The African presidents on Thursday follow on the heels of an earlier five-day mediation mission from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which ended on Sunday without reconciling the two sides.

"It is this Thursday that the last act is played, the curtain will fall," said a Malian opposition politician who declined to be named.

The group of presidents is expected to weigh in on -- and potentially sign off on -- solutions to the impasse floated in behind-the-scenes talks between the president and opposition figures this week.

Agence France-Presse