There is a new Prime Minister in Mali. The previous incumbent, Modibo Sidibé, resigned at the end of last week. He had been in office since September 2007.

He has been replaced by Cissé, Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé (i.e. she was born Sidibé and has taken the name Cissé following her marriage.)

She is the first female PM in Mali and her appointment has been greeted as a surprise, not least for this reason. Previously, she held a ministerial position in 1991-1992 and then very briefly in 2002. However, she can be considered a technocrat.

She was appointed by President Amadou Toumani Touré known as ATT), whose second term ends in 2012 and who is term-limited.