Soumaïla Cissé died on Friday, December 25, in Paris, where he was treated under contract with Covid-19. More than any other neighborhood in Bamako, Badalabougou is in mourning. The former leader of the opposition against Mali had established his family home there. It is also the headquarters of his party, the Union for Republic and Democracy (URD), that pays tribute to his memory. In Niafunké, the city of his childhood, the emotions are also great.
as reported from Bamako, Kaourou Magassa
In front of the Cissé family’s house in the Badalabougou district, a tent has been quickly set up to welcome the many personalities and anonymous people who flock. Sudden death of SoumaïlaCissé, at the age of 71, was experienced as a shock. The words of comfort and compassion for his siblings are intertwined. Amadou Alhousseini Touré, the deceased’s brother-in-law, is stunned:
“He is the uncle of my children. I can say nothing but the immense loss for us, for the family and for Mali. But I am thinking at this moment especially of his wife Assa in Paris, I am thinking of his four children. “
“Despite everything he suffered, the man remained standing, in Mali’s service, for democracy”
Besides a father, Soumaïla Cissé was a leading figure in Mali and especially in the neighborhood. In Badalabougou, everyone knew him. Mahoumoudou Aldiana Bangou, supporter and sympathizer of Soumaïla Cissé since 2002, remembers her humanism. He’s still talking a little bit about it now:
“As soon as he crosses paths with you, whether he knows you or does not know you, he looks like he is not a malian. Soumaïla looks more like an American. Every time you meet an American, he meets you with a big smile, he says “Hello!” And you want to know him. Soumaïla Cissé had that style. “
Until the evening, dozens of people were still present in front of the family home. Everyone is waiting for the return of Soumaïla Cissé’s remains to pay him one last tribute during the funeral, the date of which is still not announced.
Born in Timbuktu, Soumaïla Cissé grew up in Niafunké. Cetville has become his stronghold. And today we mourn his disappearance. “Soumaila is Niafunké’s son. Soumaila, it’s all Niafunké. Everything Niafunké is in Soumaila. When we say Niafunké, it’s Soumaila. When we say Soumaila, we automatically think of Niafunké. See what it does when you lose such a chief, ”explains Samba Bah, the mayor of Niafunké.
Samba Bah, Mayor of Niafunké
Boubacar Karamoko Coulibaly, Vice-President of the Union for the Republic and Democracy, talks about the “legacy” left by SoumaïlaCissé. This legacy ”is first and foremost the meaning of the struggle he waged at the political level: love for the country, commitment to the country. Despite what he suffered, the man remained in the service of democracy for Mali ”. Boubacar Karamoko Coulibaly assures him: “His fight will not be in vain.”
Boubacar Karamoko Coulibaly, Vice-President of the Union for the Republic and Democracy
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