Mali Gov’t Declares State of Emergency until Dec. 31

Moscow (PNA/Sputnik) — The government of Mali has declared a state of emergency in the country for a 10-day period, the government’s secretary general said in a statement.

The Council of Ministers declared the state of emergency due to last until Dec. 31 during an extraordinary session on Monday. The agenda of the meeting focused on developments in security situation in Mali and the sub-region.

The government declared the state of emergency in order to allow the competent authorities better recognize and combat any plan that may threaten the safety of people, Diakite Fatoumata N’Diaye said in the statement, quoted by the Journal du Mali news portal.

On Nov. 21, Mali declared a 10-day state of emergency after an attack at a hotel in the country’s capital of Bamako, which left at least 19 people dead. (PNA/Sputnik) BNB/SSC