President Pardons 400 Prisoners

Four hundred prisoners were pardoned by the Malian President, Ibrahim Boubacar, as part of the country's measures in the stemming of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bandiougou Doumbia, a preacher who was jailed for two years for lauding the leaders of the jihadist terrorist group Amadou Koufa and Iyad Ag Ghali.

The presidency said, in a statement, “As part of anti-COVID-19 measures, the president of the republic has granted pardons to 400 prisoners including the preacher Bandiougou Doumbia."

All pardoned prisoners, except for Doumbia, will be released in January 2021.

The identities of the other released prisoners were not disclosed.

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Various nations across the world have towed the same line, in the releasing of prisoners in a bid to decongest the prisons and control the spread of the virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other UN agencies have asked governments to release prisoners who are in detention for minor crimes to prevent the spread of the virus.