Keita, 33, who now plays for Chinese club Dalian Aerbin, is known back home for his outspokenness in national issues, following his 2012 and 2013 calls during the African Cup of Nations to end the war in the country after Islamic militants invaded the north.
“I was scared before the presidential elections, but now, after the vanquished publicly congratulated the winner, we can say peace has returned to Mali after years of bloodshed, division and destruction,” Keita told French radio RFI.
“Now I want to implore all Malians to unite and rebuild this beautiful land so that our children will no longer experience the horrors of war.
“I’m just an ordinary footballer but I believe I can contribute to nation building via my discipline and if people listen to my message they will probably learn to accept each other and live together in harmony,” he said.
Mali won bronze in the last two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations but have been eliminated from the ongoing 2014 World Cup qualifying, which Keita attributes to the political instability in the country.
“Everybody knew how poor our preparations were for the World Cup qualifying. The country was at war and very little attention and means were given to us to prepare. I think it’s a loss to everybody and we have to learn from this.”
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