Coup leaders who have taken power in Mali have said they would appoint a transitional president who would be drawn from either civilian or military ranks, reported BBC News.
“We are going to set in place a transitional council, with a transitional president who is going to be either military or civilian,” military spokesman Ismael Wague said during an interview with France 24 TV channel on Thursday.
“We are in contact with civil society, opposition parties, the majority, everyone, to try to set the transition in place,” Wague said.
He added that the transition will happen as quick as possible.
On Tuesday, the coup leaders arrested Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita at gunpoint, plunging a country already facing an armed movement against it as well as mass opposition protests deeper into crisis. Hours after being taken under the rebel soldiers’ custody, President Keita resigned and dissolved the parliament.
The coup leaders say elections will be held in Mali in a reasonable time and have also promised to respect international agreements on fighting jihadists.
Colonel Assimi Goita has declared himself as leader of the new military junta, which calls itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP).
West African leaders have called for Keita to be reinstated and the United Nations has also called for the release of officials.
On Thursday, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) said it would send envoys to Mali to ensure the return of constitutional order, as regional powers are now trying to block a change in government. It also called for Keita to be restored to the president’s post.
“We call for the restoration of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as president,” the ECOWAS members said in a closing statement at the end of a video summit.
The ECOWAS suspended Mali, shut borders, and halted financial flows soon after the coup was announced.
