Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK)

Flying straight to the northern town of Gao in May without a prior call on President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in Bamako was viewed by some as disrespectful as were his blunt comments about family size and population growth at the G20 in Hamburg (even if many African development specialists privately agree)...

To President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta who came to meet Macron at the main French base in Gao the unusually frank message was that he needed to accelerate progress...

The tension surrounding the formation of the interim authorities is inevitable after last year's decision by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and his de facto chief of staff Presidency Secretary General Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga (SBM) to prioritise coopting the CMA...

Among the Bamako political class thoughts are already turning to the 2018 presidential election – which will be a tough test for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK) whose early popularity and promise of competence are fading memories...

Paris will also have wanted to reassure the government of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta about whose leadership serious questions are being posed (AC 57 No 19 Instability goes national)...

Although current President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta gave his full backing to prosecution of the putschists in October 2013 he has blown hot and cold...

The entourage of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta says any campaign visit to the Saharan town for this month's municipal elections scheduled is unlikely...

As he struggles to cut a deal with armed groups over northern regional councils and faces persistent militant attacks in central areas President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has brought the former Foreign Minister intelligence chief and Defence Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga (SBM) back to the heart of power as Secretary General of the Presidency...

The ministers' itinerary included meetings with Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and his Nigerien counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou visits to Gao a key base for French and Minusma troops and a tour of a local non-governmental organisation workshop that is restoring ancient manuscripts saved from the jihadist occupation of Timbuktu in 2012...

With the restoration of constitutional rule and subsequent election of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK) normality was reasserted outside the north...