Former Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita , who has not been seen in public since his August 18 ouster in a coup, has been hospitalised after suffering a brief stroke -like attack , a doctor said Wednesday .
Keita, 75, was admitted to a private clinic in the capital Bamako on Tuesday evening , he said .
“ According to thorough analysis, the president was the victim of a transient ischaemic attack . It is an alert , but he is recovering well at the moment , ” a doctor at the facility said .
A transient ischaemic attack , also called a mini- stroke, happens when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted for a few minutes , causing stroke- like symptoms such as numbness on one side of the body , vision difficulties or confusion in understanding speech .
Although the symptoms are typically short- lasting , they are often a warning sign for future strokes, experts say .
Earlier Wednesday , an aide to Keita and a medical source had said the former president had been admitted to the clinic for a routine checkup and that he was expected to return home in the coming hours.
Asked how long Keita would stay , the doctor said : “ It ’ s true, his return home was initially envisaged for today , but right now he is under observation . ”
The president was ousted by young military officers who mutinied at a base near Bamako before heading into the city, where they seized Keita and other leaders .
Hours later , Keita announced on national TV that he was stepping down.
He was released on August 27 by the new junta , who returned him to his residence in Bamako , where according to his entourage he has limited access to a phone and the internet .
The junta has said that Keita is authorised to leave the country for medical care if need be.
Keita, who was two years into his second five - year term, had been battling mounting protests fuelled by his handling of a bloody jihadist insurgency and failure to turn around Mali ’ s floundering economy .
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