Hundreds of supporters of exiled former Malian president Amadou Toumani Toure, who was overthrown in a military coup in 2012, called for his return on Thursday in rallies held in several cities.

Hundreds of supporters of exiled former Malian president Amadou Toumani Toure, who was overthrown in a military coup in 2012, called for his return on Thursday in rallies held in several cities.

The gathering in the capital Bamako drew more than a thousand people, many of them wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a picture of Toure, who is known by his initials ATT.

Smaller crowds also gathered in the central city of Mopti and the northern city of Gao, witnesses said.

Ex-president Toure, who came to power in 2002, fled to Senegal after being overthrown by a military junta in 2012 just as he was preparing to end his final term in office.

He was accused by the soldiers of failing to tackle an insurgency in the north of Mali.

The government of current President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has sought to prosecute Toure for "high treason".