UN calls for calm as dozens injured in Mali Opp protest

BAMAKO: The UN has called for calm in Mali after dozens of people were hurt during banned opposition protests in Bamako, sparking calls for the prime minister to resign two months ahead of a presidential election. The opposition said some 30 people were hospitalised — including prominent opposition figure Etienne Fabaka Sissoko who was left “in a coma” — after security forces fired “live ammunition” at protesters on Saturday. The government rejected the claims outright. “It is absolutely false to say that shots were fired using live ammunition,” a source close to the security ministry told AFP. Earlier Sunday, the ministry said the security forces were bound by three words — “professionalism, courtesy and firmness” and that the police had acted to maintain public order.