Mali has named Moussa Mara as new prime minster following the resignation of Oumar Tatam Ly and his government after just six months in office.
A presidential spokesman made the announcement on Saturday, saying President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has appointed Moussa to form a new cabinet.
The spokesman gave no more details on the resignation of Ly’s government, which had pledged to try to unite Mali and end corruption in the country.
The Ly administration was appointed in August 2013 after Keita won presidential elections, in which Moussa was one of his rivals.
The troubled West African nation broke out in chaos in March 2012 after former President Amadou Toumani Toure was toppled in a military coup.
The coup leaders said they mounted the coup in response to the government’s failure to contain the Tuareg rebellion in the north of the country, which had been going on for two months.
The Tuareg fighters took control of the entire northern desert region in the wake of the coup d’état, but the Ansar Dine members then pushed them aside and took control of the region, which is larger than France or Texas.
In January 2013, France invaded its former colony under the pretext of halting the advance of the Tuareg fighters.
Some political analysts believe that Mali’s natural resources, including gold and uranium reserves, could be one of the reasons behind the French-led war.
The war caused a serious humanitarian crisis in northern areas of Mali. The conflict has also displaced thousands of people who now live in deplorable conditions.
