“Mali needs a complete overhaul,” said the ultraconservative leader who organised Sunday’s event with Bouye Haidara, another leading Muslim. In 2015, Dicko stirred controversy when he called jihadist attacks “divine punishment” for Mali adopting more liberal Western traditions. People need to talk to each other,” Dicko told AFP ahead of the event. Dicko, 64, has repeatedly pushed for dialogue to help solve the security crisis plaguing Mali, one of the world’s poorest countries. In Sunday’s speech, he denounced the “terrorist attacks”, saying jihadism “has no place in Mali”.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 10, 2019 16:18 UTC