- Byname:
- ATT
- Born:
- November 4, 1948, Mopti, French Sudan [now in Mali]
- Died:
- November 10, 2020, Istanbul, Turkey (aged 72)
- Title / Office:
- president (2002-2012), Mali
- president (1991-1992), Mali
Amadou Toumani Touré
-
Who was Amadou Toumani Touré?
Amadou Toumani Touré (1948-2020) was a Malian politician and military leader who served twice as his country's leader. In 1991, he rose to international prominence by leading a coup that toppled Gen. Moussa Traoré. Touré then served as interim president (1991–92) and was later elected president in 2002.
During the decade between his presidencies, Touré focused on public health, leading Mali’s Intersectoral Committee for Guinea Worm Eradication and working with the Carter Center to combat diseases and resolve disputes in the Great Lakes region.
Touré was reelected in 2007 but was deposed in a military coup in March 2012 due to discontent over his administration's handling of rebel activity in northern Mali. He officially resigned the following month.
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When did Amadou Toumani Touré serve as president of Mali?
Amadou Toumani Touré served as president of Mali on two occasions. First, he served as interim president (1991–92) after a coup. Later, after resigning from the armed forces, he was elected president in 2002 and inaugurated on June 8, 2002. Touré was reelected in 2007. However, on March 21, 2012, a military coup deposed him, and he officially resigned the next month, on April 8, 2012.
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How did Amadou Toumani Touré become the president of Mali?
Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT) rose to prominence as the leader of a coup in 1991 that overthrew President Moussa Traoré. This action was widely supported due to Traoré's oppressive policies.
After the coup, ATT did not run in the 1992 presidential election but instead transferred power to a civilian government. For the next decade, Touré dedicated himself to public health initiatives. In 2002, he ran for president as an independent, winning the election with the support of over 40 parties. He was reelected in 2007 with backing from the Alliance for Democracy and Progress. However, in March 2012, a military coup deposed him.
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What were some important achievements or actions taken by Amadou Toumani Touré during his presidency?
During his presidency, Amadou Toumani Touré, who was president of Mali for two terms, took actions to resolve disputes and address economic issues. In 2002, he was elected president and, in 2007, was reelected.
Touré's administration faced ongoing economic problems, which were partially eased by debt relief granted in 2003 and 2005. His administration also had to deal with conflicts such as renewed Tuareg rebel activity in the north, which was resolved by a peace agreement in 2006. In 2007, the governments of Mali and Guinea intervened and resumed patrols along their border to encourage peaceful negotiations after skirmishes between villagers.
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How did Amadou Toumani Touré's leadership affect Mali's government and society?
Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT) served as president of Mali from 2002 until he was ousted in a military coup in March 2012.
As a president without party affiliation, Touré formed the Presidential Bloc coalition in September 2002 to gain legislative support. Although his administration was faced with continuing economic problems, debt relief was granted in 2003 and 2005.
In March 2012, a military coup occurred because of unhappiness with Touré's administration and its handling of rebel activity in northern Mali. The coup leaders cited the government’s failure to address the conflict in the north as the reason for their actions. The coup was followed by the suspension of the constitution and the closure of the country’s borders.
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What events led to the end of Amadou Toumani Touré’s time as president of Mali?
President Amadou Toumani Touré's time in office ended due to a military coup on March 21, 2012, which stemmed from dissatisfaction with his administration's handling of rebel activity in northern Mali. The mutinying soldiers seized power, suspended the constitution, and replaced the government with the National Committee for the Recovery of Democracy and Restoration of the State.
International condemnation and sanctions followed, leading to food and energy shortages. Simultaneously, Tuareg rebels and Islamic insurgents gained control over northern Mali. As part of an agreement mediated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Touré officially resigned from the presidency on April 8, 2012, paving the way for a return to civilian rule.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Amadou Toumani Touré (born November 4, 1948, Mopti, French Sudan [now in Mali]—died November 10, 2020, Istanbul, Turkey) was a Malian politician and military leader who twice led his country. He served as interim president (1991–92) after a coup and was elected president in 2002. In March 2012 he was deposed in a military coup. He officially resigned the next month.
Touré studied to be a teacher and later joined the army in 1969, receiving military training in France and the U.S.S.R. At one time he was a member of the Presidential Guard in Mali, but he had a falling out with the president, Gen. Moussa Traoré, and lost this position.
Touré first came to international prominence on March 26, 1991, as the leader of a coup that toppled Traoré (who had himself come to power in 1968 in a coup against Modibo Keita). Touré’s coup was generally welcomed because of Traoré’s repressive policies, which had led to popular unrest, often manifested in violent riots, in 1990–91. It was after days of such rioting that the coup took place, and it seemed to many that Touré had acted in the name of the people and brought stability and democracy to the country. Be this as it may, the pro-democracy forces in the country lost little time in organizing the 1992 presidential election, in which Touré did not stand, and he retired as president on June 8, 1992.
For the next decade Touré occupied himself with nonmilitary activities, mostly concerned with public health. In 1992 he became the head of Mali’s Intersectoral Committee for Guinea Worm Eradication, and he was associated with campaigns to eliminate polio and other childhood diseases as well as working for the control of AIDS in Africa, often collaborating with the Carter Center, the nonprofit humanitarian organization run by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Touré also was active in trying to resolve disputes in the Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of the Congo) and served as a United Nations special envoy to the Central African Republic after a coup occurred in that country in 2001.
In preparation for Mali’s 2002 presidential elections, Touré resigned from the armed forces in September 2001. He ran as an independent candidate in the first round of voting, held on April 28, and did well, receiving the most votes. He prevailed in the second round, held on May 12, with the support of more than 40 parties and received 65 percent of the total vote, although the election was marred by low voter turnout and allegations of fraud. Nonetheless, Touré was inaugurated on June 8, 2002. As a president without party affiliation, he did not have the automatic support of a party in the National Assembly, but he offered to work with any party or coalition of parties that could gain legislative control. To that end, in September 2002 the Presidential Bloc coalition was formed to work with Touré, and he enjoyed the support of a stable legislative majority for a few years.
Touré was reelected in 2007, again running as an independent candidate, although he had the backing of the Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ADP), a group of more than 40 parties that formed to support him. Touré captured 71 percent of the vote in the first round of voting, held on April 29, thus avoiding the need for a runoff election. In legislative elections held a few months later, the ADP won the majority of seats, and Touré again was able to enjoy stable legislative support.
On March 21, 2012, a coup was launched by a faction of the military that was unhappy with the way Touré’s administration was handling rebel activity in northern Mali. As the mutinying soldiers announced the suspension of the constitution and closed the country’s borders, Touré’s actual whereabouts were unknown, but he was said to be in a safe location guarded by troops still loyal to him. A week later Touré confirmed that he was still in Mali and not being held by the junta. On April 8 Touré officially resigned from the presidency as part of an agreement, mediated by the Economic Community of West African States, under which the junta promised to hand over power to a civilian government. In 2020 he died in Turkey, where he had sought medical treatment.
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