The court in Mali has appointed Assimi Goita as interim president Mali News

The appointment of a coup leader increases the stakes when West African leaders are preparing to respond to the coup in Mali.

Mali’s constitutional court this week appointed the country’s new interim leader as the colonel who led the military coup.

According to the resolution issued on Friday, Assimi Goita will “bring the transition process to an end” and will carry the title of “transitional president, head of state”.

The court said it had taken the decision that Bah Ndaw was “empty presidency” after the resignation of interim president.

Goita, 38, was previously a deputy in Ndaw, and was ordered to arrest the former chief on Monday after two soldiers were stripped of their ministerial posts following a cabinet reshuffle.

Ndaw resigned after being arrested on Wednesday and later released.

Friday’s resolution sparked a bid that West African leaders were ready to meet on Sunday to decide how they would respond to the decision, fearing regional and western governments could escalate instability in northern and central Mali and link regional armed groups. -Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

Getting the power of Goita is the second in less than a year.

Last August, the young colonel led a coup in Mali’s elected Ibrahim Boubacar Keita amid protests against alleged corruption and the government’s crackdown on armed groups. But in the face of the threat of regional sanctions, Goita and other coups agreed to hand over power to a transitional government that would direct the country to civilian rule.

The colonel was then appointed vice-president of the caretaker government, and his fellow soldiers were given key cabinet posts.

At the time, mediators from the 15 Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS) stressed that Mali’s transition, which is due to end with the February elections, is driven by civilians. The bloc stated in a joint statement that the transitional vice president “cannot in any way replace the president.”

ECOWAS heads of state will meet in Ghana on Sunday.

Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reported from the Malian capital Bama that Goita’s appointment as interim president is “a long time coming”.

Haque said Monday’s arrest in Ndaw raised the illusion of a civilian-led transition, and the Constitutional Court ruling made it clear that “the real strength of Mali is Assimi Goita.”

“In the run-up to this announcement, Goita has met with religious leaders, union leaders and the opposition to gather his cause,” Haque said. “So this court ruling is not a surprise.”

Goita, however, still faces the threat of regional sanctions, the correspondent added.

Earlier in the day, the colonel made his first public statements since taking over his last power and said the military had little choice but to intervene.

“We had to choose disorder and cohesion within the defense and security forces and we chose cohesion,” he said.

He added that he would appoint a new prime minister among the members of the M5-RFP coalition, led protests against Keita last year and fell in transition with Ndaw and Ouan.

Coalition member Jeamille Bitar said Choguel Maiga will be a former government minister to choose the post.