Mali interim president injured in attack

Diancounda Traore, Mali’s interim president, is recovering from head injuries he sustained after protesters angry at his appointment in a deal struck with the military rulers burst into his office and beat him.Traore was rushed to Point G Hospital after Monday’s attack, which left three people dead, said Sekou Yattara, a medical student there. The interim leader arrived at the hospital unconscious though he regained consciousness later, Yattara added, explaining that he learned of the president’s condition from the doctors treating him.“He has been badly injured but the information I have is that his life is not in danger,” said Iba N’Diaye, the vice president of Traore’s party. “This was an attempt on his life.”A UN envoy said the attack “seriously” endangered diplomatic efforts to resolve Mali’s crisis, suggesting that “maybe other options will now have to be considered”.Protesters evaded security and pushed their way into Traore’s offices in Koulouba, the headquarters of the general secretariat next to the presidential palace, which has stood looted and empty since the March 21 coup.“The protesters, who were many, evaded security forces ... they found him in his office. He was beaten but his life is not in danger. He was driven to hospital,” a source in the presidency said.Traore was released after undergoing an examination.“He had a scan which showed no serious injury,” said a doctor speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that after leaving the hospital Traore had been driven to a secure location.Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra appealed for calm, saying the attack was “not worthy of our country”.Speaking on state television, he said: “Mali doesn’t deserve this. ... I call on the people, especially the young people, to put an end to [protest] marches.”The incident comes a day after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) brokered a deal with the junta, prompting relief in the country after weeks of deadlock on the way forward.“We are all leaving, with the feeling that we have accomplished our mission” set by ECOWAS, Adama Bictogo, the Ivory Coast minister of African integration, told the AFP news agency earlier on Monday.