Mali’s West African neighboring countries group has agreed the country’s transitional government must be lead by civilian and last no longer than 12 months, Nigeria’s presidency said on Friday, reported Reuters.
During a summit on Friday, the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) discussed Mali’s future and to decide on whether to lift sanctions on the country following last week’s ousting of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
ECOWAS suspended Mali from its institutions, shut borders and halted financial flows with the country following the coup. The sanctions have cut off trade and travel with the West African country already reeling from violence amid COVID-19 pandemic.
But, now, the bloc has said that if the coup leaders transfer power to a civilian-led transitional government immediately and hold elections within a year then it will gradually lift sanctions. The group is concerned about prolonged instability in the country and Islamist militants’ insurgency there and in the wider Sahel region.
ECOWAS outlined four main pointsto be fulfilled before sanctions could be gradually lifted.
Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, who currently chairs ECOWAS, said Mali’s transitional president and prime minister must be civilians, and would be banned from running in the next legislative and presidential elections.
“No military structure should be above the transitional president,” Issoufou said.
The bloc also asked for the quick establishment of a government that will tackle the various challenges Mali is facing, and in particular, to prepare for legislative and presidential elections within 12 months.
Military spokesman Djibrila Maiga said its leaders are currently studying the bloc’s decisions.
Mali’s opposition coalition, the M5-RFP, which held several demonstrations calling for Keita to resign before the coup, said it would examine the ECOWAS decision before making a statement.
Issoufou said regional leaders will meet again on September 7 in Niger’s capital Niamey, where they will discuss Mali’s situation and take other measures, if necessary.
