Mali YouTube activist hurt in assassination bid

“Marshall Madou”, real name Madou Kante, called for calm following the attempt on his life, as his supporters rallied around.

Kante was driving in the capital Bamako at around 1:00 am on Tuesday when a gunman fired several times at him, Kante and his family told AFP.

“They just took the bullet out of my body,” he said from hospital. “I was in my car in Bamako when someone shot me in the chest.

“I want to call for calm. I am not accusing anyone at the moment and I don’t want any action taken in my name,” Kante, 30, added.

Malian media published images of Kante shirtless and standing upright in hospital, with dressings covering his chest and upper right arm.

He took part in protests this month organised by opponents of a constitutional referendum framed by the government as an important step towards enshrining a peace deal in the national charter.

Critics say the referendum is a tool for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to consolidate his own power, especially by giving him the right to appoint senators. The vote has been delayed indefinitely to calm tensions following massive protests.

Kante has made many enemies with his popular show the “Madou Ka Journal”, in which he attacks corruption and nepotism in Mali.

One of his close associates, Oumar Diakite, told AFP he would not “accuse anyone without proof”.

Government sources said several ministers had visited Kante at his bedside.