Mali's presidency Wednesday closed all educational institutions in the capitalBamako and at the seat of its military headquarters as students demanded the president's resignation and the holding of national talks, dpa reported. This follows a day of protests in Bamako and on its outskirts in Kati, at the main military headquarters. Civil society groups and hundreds of students demanded the departure of president Dioncounda Traore and the holding of national talks to find a solution to Mali's problems. The protesters blocked two of the three main bridges over the Niger river, effectively cutting the city into two. Various armed groups have been in control of about two-thirds of Mali since early last year, when they took advantage of a power vacuum created by a military coup in Bamako in March. On Tuesday, Mali's military acknowledged that militant rebels attacked its last checkpoint in central Mali at Kona, about 680 kilometres north of the capital.
