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| - The leaders of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal and Niger are due to arrive in Bamako on Thursday as Mali's political crisis deepens, a government official said. The news comes after a five-day mediation mission from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ended Sunday after failing to reconcile the president with the political opposition. Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been locked in a standoff with the opposition June 5 Movement for weeks, which spiralled into violent clashes earlier this month, leaving 11 dead. An official from Keita's office told AFP that the arrival of foreign leaders concerned the political impasse, but did not elaborate. The June 5 Movement has been tapping into deep-seated frustrations over the 75-year-old president's perceived failures in tackling the dire economy, corruption and the country's eight-year-old jihadist conflict. Many Malians are also incensed at the outcome of long-delayed parliamentary elections in March and April that handed victory to Keita's party. An anti-Keita rally staged by the June 5 Movement on July 10 turned violent after protesters stormed the premises of a state broadcaster, blocked bridges and attacked the parliament. Three days of clashes between protesters and security forces followed, leaving 11 dead and 158 injured, according to an official tally. After a week of meeting with various parties, the ECOWAS mission on Sunday suggested the formation of a new unity government comprising opposition members as a way out of the crisis. Mediators also suggested appointing new judges to country's constitutional court, who could potentially re-examine disputed election results. But the June 5 Movement had earlier rejected any outcome that does not include Keita's departure. Mali's neighbours and international allies are anxious to avoid a slide into chaos in the poor Sahel nation of some 20 million people. The former French colony has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that first emerged in the north in 2012, before spreading to the centre. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have died in the conflict, and hundreds of thousands of people have been driven from their homes. Keita, who came to power in 2013, has been under increasing pressure to stop the fighting. sd-siu/eml/gd
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