Mali president dismisses coup speculation

BAMAKO: Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Sunday rejected as speculation talk of a military coup after recent Jihadist attacks left dozens of soldiers dead.

Keita said lessons would be learned after 38 soldiers were killed in two attacks last week near the border with Burkina Faso, a death toll that observers say is probably an underestimate. "No military coup will prevail in Mali, let it be said," the president said in remarks recorded on Saturday and released on Sunday. "And I don’t think this is on the agenda at all and cannot worry us," he added.