Kenya Airways diverts flights after coup in Mali

Kenya Airways said it has diverted its flights from Dakar, Senegal to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso following news of a coup de' etat in Mali. In a statement issued in Nairobi on Thursday, the national carrier said its flight KQ 513- a Boeing 737-700 which was en route to Bamako in Mali was diverted 30 minutes from the capital city of Mali on Wednesday night. "Kenya Airways has just received news of a coup de' etat in Mali. Following the incident, and after communication with the pilot, Kenya Airways managed to divert its flight KQ 513- a Boeing 737-700 from Dakar, Senegal, to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso," the airline CEO Dr. Titus Naikuni said. According to Naikuni, the aircraft had 60 passengers on board – 53 in economy and 7 in business class, noting that all the passengers, crew and aircraft are safe. Naikuni added that all Kenya Airways staff in Bamako are safe and that the airline will continue to monitor the situation and provide any update as and when available. The incident comes as the country's Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang'ula was among ministers from Africa and other dignitaries who are stranded in the West African country. In his Twitter account, Wetang'ula said the fighting broke out in Mali's capital city, Bamako, just as he was about to leave his hotel for the airport. "A coup d'état has taken place in Mali as I was about to leave for the airport. May not be able to leave. Airspace closed. Pray for me," the minister said on Wednesday night. Wetang'ula said early on Thursday he, together with three Kenyan government officials are still held up in the hotel as sporadic gunshots could be heard from his hotel. "Both myself and officers Boniface Munzala, Gilbert Ng'eno, Anthony Safari are still holed up in hotel. Sporadic gunshots can be heard. Difficult to tell exact state of affairs," Wetang'ula said. He said he had been attending an African Union peace and security meeting and was waiting for a Kenya's airline to bring him back home in an hour's time when chaos erupted. But Kenya Airways CEO who spoke to Wetang'ula said the minister confirmed he was safe together with his Personal Assistant, Munzola, Ng'eno from Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa and Anthony Safari from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nairobi. Naikuni said Kenya Airways would do its best to try and get the passengers who are in Mali out of the situation AU delegation including Zimbabwe and Nigerien foreign ministers are among the dignitaries from across Africa and the world that are stranded in Bamako.