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The West African Group fears that the recent coup d’état may jeopardize Mali’s transition to democracy and increase regional insecurity.
The leader of the Mali coup and the newly appointed interim president Colonel Asimi Goita have been summoned to participate in an emergency meeting of West African leaders in Ghana.
At a special summit on Sunday, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will discuss how to respond to Mali’s second coup in nine months.
According to Agence France-Presse, Goita left Bamako on Saturday for Accra, the capital of Ghana, after receiving a letter from ECOWAS requesting “consultations.”
The Office of the President of Mali stated in a statement on Facebook that Goita will attend the special summit “with his colleagues” and will hold bilateral talks with regional leaders.
Press release on the trip of the Transitional President Colonel @GoitaAssimi In Accra, he will join his colleagues in the subregion to participate in the special ECOWAS summit on the situation in Mali scheduled to be held this Sunday ????https://t.co/uy0c9EA3sd pic.twitter.com/dtGFgH9v9y
— President of Mali (@PresidenceMali) May 29, 2021
The summit is scheduled to start at 2:00 pm on Sunday (14:00 GMT).
ECOWAS-which served as mediator when Goita and others overthrew Mali’s elected President Ibrahim Bubacar Keita last August-warned that after the colonel’s recent seizure of power, it might Sanctions will be re-imposed.
The group fears that the acquisition may exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali and undermine the regional struggles of armed groups associated with Al-Qaida and Islamic State (ISIS).
ECOWAS, the United States and France have all issued warnings about the new sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to Rwanda and South Africa on Saturday that he told West African leaders that they cannot support a country that “no longer has democratic legitimacy or transition.”
The turmoil in Mali began last week, when two soldiers were excluded due to the reorganization of the cabinet. Goita ordered the arrest of President Barendo and Prime Minister Mokta Vane.
Goita served as vice president at the time.
Ndaw and Ouane resigned during their detention on Wednesday and were later released.
Then the Constitutional Court-in violation of the joint statement issued after the talks after the coup d’état last August-appointed Goita as Mali’s new transitional president. The statement reached by ECOWAS and Mali’s civilian and military leaders stated that the vice president of the transitional period “can not replace the president under any circumstances.”
As the military renewed its previous commitments to civilian political leaders, people questioned its other commitments, including holding elections in early 2020.
The military said this week that it will continue to comply with the timetable, but added that it may change.
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