BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Soumaila Cissé, Mali’s main opposition leader who was held hostage for six months earlier this year by jihadis and was considered a leading contender in the 2022 presidential election, has died in Paris. He was 71.
Cissé died after contracting COVID-19, his eldest son Bocar told The Associated Press on Friday.
“The doctors did everything to keep him alive, but that’s the way of God’s will,” he said.
The death throws Malian politics into new uncertainty. Cissé was the runner-up in the past three presidential elections and many thought he had the best chances of finally winning in 2022.
