Malian opposition leader, Soumaïla Cissé, has died of coronavirus.
PANA reports that he passed away in Paris, France on Friday.
Cissé’s family and political affiliation, Union for Republic and Democracy (URD), have confirmed his death.
The former member of Mali’s National Assembly had been transferred from Niamey to France for treatment.
Cissé was abducted in March while campaigning for legislative elections in Timbuktu.
He was released in October, along with French humanist, Sophie Pétronin, and two Italians.
Jihadists freed them in a swap for 200 detainees.
Cissé led the opposition until Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was ousted in August.
The deceased served as president of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Commission from 2002 to 2012.
He was tipped as a frontrunner for the 2022 presidential election in Mali.
