West African leaders on Sunday decided to suspend Mali’s membership from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following last week’s coup, reported Reuters.
The leaders of the 15-member regional body took the decision during an emergency summit in Ghana’s Accra on Sunday over the Malian military’s toppling of the president and prime minister for the second time in nine months.
The military detained interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane last week, hours after a cabinet reshuffle that left out two members of the military. The two were released on Thursday after they resigned from their posts.
Ten regional heads of state and three foreign ministers attended the meeting that was led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathon.
“The suspension from ECOWAS takes immediate effect until the deadline of the end of February 2022 when they are supposed to hand over to a democratically elected government,” Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said after the meeting.
The regional bloc’s final statement called for the immediate appointment of a new civilian prime minister and the formation of an inclusive government. The bloc did not impose any sanctions like those it imposed after the August coup, which saw members temporarily close their borders with Mali and suspend financial transactions.
It also did not demand the new interim President Assimi Goita step down. The army colonel, who led both the coup, was declared president on Friday.
Instead, the statement said, the head of the transition government, the vice president, and the prime minister should not be candidates in the presidential election.
“The date of 27th February 2022 already announced for the presidential election should be absolutely maintained,” it stressed.
The West African regional bloc continues to urge all international partners, including the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union, to support the successful implementation of the transition in Mali.
