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The West African bloc fears that the latest coup could jeopardize Mali’s transition to democracy and increase regional insecurity.
Colonel Assimi Goita, the coup leader of Mali and the newly appointed interim president, has been called to an urgent meeting of West African leaders in Ghana.
An extraordinary summit on Sunday will discuss how the 15 Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS) will deal with the second coup in nine months in Mali.
Goita set off from Bamako to the Ghanaian capital Accra on Saturday after receiving a letter from ECOWAS asking for “consultations,” the AFP news agency reported.
Mali’s president’s office, in a Facebook appearance, said Goita will attend an extraordinary summit “along with his counterparts” and also hold bilateral talks with regional leaders.
Press release related to the visit of the Colonel of the Transitional President @GoitaAssimi Accran, where he will attend an Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit on the situation in Mali scheduled for Sunday, along with members of the subregion.https://t.co/uy0c9EA3sd pic.twitter.com/dtGFgH9v9y
– Presidency Mali (@PresidenceMali) May 29, 2021
The summit will begin on Sunday at 14:00 (14:00 GMT).
ECOWAS – which acted as a mediator last August when Goita and others ousted democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali – has warned that the colonel could re-impose sanctions after taking power.
The block fears that the takeover could exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali and weaken the regional fight against armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
ECOWAS, the United States and France have warned of new sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron, on a visit to Rwanda and South Africa, said on Saturday that West African leaders could be told they could not back a country “where there is already no democratic legitimacy or transition.”
The riot in Mali began last week when Goita ordered the arrest of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, after two members of the army were left out after a dispute over a cabinet renewal job.
Goita was then vice president.
Ndaw and Ouane resigned after being arrested on Wednesday and then released.
The Constitutional Court then – in opposition to a joint document issued after talks in the wake of the August coup – appointed the new president of the Transitional Goita Mali. The statement, between ECOWAS and Mali’s civilian and military leaders, said the transitional vice president “cannot in any way replace the president.”
Restoring the military’s previous commitment to civilian political leaders, doubts have been raised about other commitments, including holding elections in early 2020.
The military said this week that they will continue to respect that schedule, but added that it could change.
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