Pair jailed for beating ex-interim president

BAMAKO - A Malian court has sentenced two men to five years in jail for beating up Mali's former interim president, Dioncounda Traore, during the occupation of his palace in May 2012 by protesters demanding he resign, the Justice Minister said on Wednesday.

The court on Tuesday acquitted a third man of involvement in the attack, which followed a military coup that allowed separatists and Islamists to take control of parts of northern Mali.

The two men were convicted of charges including criminal conspiracy and attempted assassination, Justice Minister Sanogo Aminata Malle said in a statement.

Traore was hospitalised in France for two months before coming back to Mali. He later authorised a foreign military intervention to oust Islamist militants who threatened Bamako, before handing over power to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in September 2013..