Kafougouna Koné (1944 – 10 March 2017) was a

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

an politician, diplomat and military officer. He served as Minister of Defense from 1991 to 1992 during the country's transition to

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

. During the

Agacher Strip War The Agacher Strip War ( French: ''Guerre de la Bande d’Agacher''), also known as the Christmas War (French: ''Guerre de Noël''), was a brief conflict fought by Burkina Faso and Mali over a strip of land along the border in northern Burkin ...

of December 1985, Koné commanded a ''Groupement Opérationnels Tactiques'' during the Malian offensive against Burkina Faso. Kafougouna Koné was serving as the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Army at the time of the

1991 Malian coup d'état The 26 March 1991 Malian coup d'état resulted in the overthrow of President Moussa Traoré after over two decades of dictatorship and eventually led to multi-party elections. Background In 1968, Traoré had himself led a 1968 Malian coup d'éta ...

which overthrew the dictatorship of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Moussa Traoré Moussa Traoré (25 September 1936 – 15 September 2020) was a Malian military officer, politician, and dictator who served as the second President of Mali from 1968 to 1991. As a lieutenant, he led the military ousting of President Modibo Ke� ...

. In the aftermath of the coup, Koné was appointed Minister of Defense from 1991 to 1992 during Mali's

transition to democracy Democratization, or democratisation, is the structural government transition from an authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. Whether and to what ...

. In 1992, Koné was appointed as Mali's

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He returned to Mali following the end of his diplomatic posting and was appointed chief electoral office in 2001. On 16 October 2002 Koné was appointed Minister of Territorial Administration and Local Authorities within the government of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Ahmed Mohamed ag Hamani Ahmed Mohamed ag Hamani (born 1942

. Koné retained the post of Minister of Territorial Administration and Local Authorities during the successor governments of Prime Ministers

Ousmane Issoufi Maïga Ousmane Issoufi Maïga (born 1946) was the Prime Minister of Mali from 2004 to 2007. Issoufi had previously held several ministerial posts in previous governments. Issoufi was born near Gao, in the north of Mali. He studied economics at the Univer ...

(2004–2007),

Modibo Sidibé Modibo Sidibé (born 7 November 1952) is a Malian politician who was Prime Minister of Mali from September 2007 to April 2011.Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé (4 January 1948 – 6 November 2021) was a Malian politician and the Prime Minister of Mali at the time of the 2012 Malian coup d'état. She was the first female prime minister in the country's history. She was ann ...

(2011–2012). Kafougouna Koné died in Bamako on 10 March 2017, at the age of 73. He was buried in Niamakoro cemetery with full military honors. Dignitaries in attendance at his funeral included President

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (; 29 January 1945 – 16 January 2022), often known by his initials IBK, was a Malian politician who served as the president of Mali from September 2013 to August 2020, when he was forced to resign in the 2020 Malian cou ...

and former President

Dioncounda Traoré Dioncounda Traoré (born 23 February 1942) is a Malian politician who was President of Mali in an interim capacity from April 2012 to September 2013. Previously he was President of the National Assembly of Mali from 2007 to 2012, and he served as ...

, as well as former prime ministers, military officials, government ministers and traditional rulers of the Bamako region.

Honors

Koné was the recipient of the Cross for Military Valour of Mali and an Officier de l'Ordre national et Commandeur de l'Ordre national du Mali. In 2006, he was elevated to the Grand Officier de l'Ordre national of Mali.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kone, Kafougouna 1944 births 2017 deaths Defense ministers of Mali Ambassadors of Mali to China Government ministers of Mali Malian military personnel People from Sikasso Region 21st-century Malian people