Mali's deposed president returns home under tight security
Bamako: Former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita returned home after being detained for 10 days by the ruling military junta that staged a coup d'etat last week, a family member said Thursday.
Keita was detained by the military on Aug. 18 when a group of military officers staged a coup and took him and other government officials to Kati, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the capital, Bamako. Late that night he resigned as president.
Keita was brought home around 2 a.m. Thursday by the military, according to a family member who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to the press. New guards were put on duty at the president's residence, and the junta must approve all visitors, the family member added.
His release to his home under tight military security comes amid negotiations with the 15-nation West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, whose leaders are meeting Friday in a virtual summit to further discuss the crisis in Mali.
The former leader's safety was discussed during earlier negotiations that were suspended on Monday after failing to reach an agreement on who will lead Mali and how long the transition back to democracy will take.
We asked them to allow ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to return to his personal residence, where he would be given tight security, but they said he (might) travel abroad and not return to answer questions they may have for him,'' special envoy and former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan said when describing the negotiations to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, according to a communique issued Wednesday.
Keita's release could be a signal that Mali's ruling junta are trying to meet some of the demands by ECOWAS. Mali's military leaders have asked for ECOWAS to lift sanctions already in place, according to Jonathan.
We told them that the authority to do such was only in the hands of ECOWAS heads of state, he said, referring to the upcoming summit on Friday.
The ECOWAS negotiating team met with Keita during their visit to Mali's capital last week. Keita confirmed that he resigned voluntarily, adding that he was no longer interested in returning to his former position, according to the ECOWAS delegation's statement.
The main demand from ECOWAS, however, is at a standstill.
West Africa's leaders have demanded that Mali's junta put in place an interim government, headed by a civilian or retired military officer, that would last no longer than one year before democratic elections are held to restore the country to civilian rule.
The Interim Government would then organize elections to restore full constitutional order, Jonathan said in the briefing.
Mali's junta, calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, has proposed staying in power for three years until Mali's next election until 2023. The junta's proposed time frame is more than double the time it took to hold a vote after a similar coup in 2012, and would allow the soldiers who overthrew a democratically elected president to remain in power all that time.
African countries and the wider international community have expressed fears that Mali's upheaval could allow Islamic extremists in the country to extend their reach. Mali has been fighting the extremists with heavy international support for more than seven years, and jihadists have used previous power vacuums in the country to expand their territory.
About two-thirds of Mali is occupied by terrorists, and it makes common sense to secure the country, rather than pursuing individual interests, Nigeria's president said in the statement issued by his office.
West Africa will reach a common position on Mali on Friday, he said.
Right after the coup, ECOWAS leaders said they were considering mobilizing a standby military force to restore civilian rule, but that prospect has become unlikely after thousands of Malians took to the streets of the capital last week to support the junta. The regional group also shut borders, halted financial flows with Mali and threatened further sanctions.
The ECOWAS demand comes amid mounting international pressure on the junta.
The International Organization of Francophonie representing the world's French-speaking countries on Wednesday suspended Mali. The organization will send a high-level delegation to Mali's capital, Bamako, in the coming days to evaluate the situation, it said in a statement.
The European Union will also be suspending its security training missions in Mali.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
