UN Chief Urges Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali’s Juntas To Hand Power Back To Civilians

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday made an appeal to Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali’s military junta to hand power back to civilians as soon as possible, reported Africa News.

After meeting Senegalese President Macky Sall in Dakar, the UN chief said they had agreed on the need to keep talking to the ruling authorities in all three countries so as to get a swift return to constitutional order.

Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali have recently experienced military coups. There were coups in Mali in August 2020 and May 2021, Guinea in September 2021, and Burkina Faso in January 2022.

Soon after the coups, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by Sall, who is the current chair of the West African bloc ECOWAS, suspended all three countries from its membership.

ECOWAS imposed heavy sanctions against Mali in January after the regime there rejected a rapid return to civilian rule. It has warned of similar sanctions against Guinea and Burkina Faso if they fail to enable a swift transition to civilian rule within a reasonable timeframe.

Last month, the ECOWAS leaders told the military governments in Guinea and Burkina Faso that they had until April 25 to explain how and when they would hand back power to civilians or face immediate sanctions. But the military regimes in both countries failed to meet the deadline.

The UN chief also urged debt relief for African countries and more investment to help their economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, adverse weather conditions, and the impacts of the Ukraine war.

Mr. Guterres said African countries were often the first victims of global warming for which they are not responsible. He noted that developed countries had pledged to help the countries of the south to finance their transition towards renewable energies and green jobs.

“It’s time to take action. It’s time to keep the promise of 100 billion dollars a year made in Paris,” the UN chief said, referring to national pledges under the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed at capping global warming below two degrees Celsius.