Such was the opinion of political observers and media in their analyzes of the results of the last bloc summit meeting in Accra, Ghana, whose leader Nana Akufo-Addo holds the group’s rotating chair and was expected to do more. Moderation on the Mali question.
Bamako hoped that the restrictive measures imposed on January 9 would be lifted on June 4, “instead, the leaders decided to keep sanctions in place and wait for negotiations to continue,” theeastafrican.co.ke quoted as saying.
The negotiations conform to definitions of the transition process that began with the ouster of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in 2020 over his alleged inability to deal with extremist violence of a sectarian nature in the north of the country and is now extending to the central region.
With Boubacar Keita sacked and Colonel Assimi Goita coming to power, Mali faced punishment from Cedeao, who called for the return of civilian authority, despite the military’s insistence on the need for a transitional period to allow them to reorganize the state shape.
The coup garnered public support as the security of the population was (and is) at stake amid an escalation of fundamentalist violence with skewed Islamic affiliations, and the new authority marked a change in attitude towards the advance of armed radical units.
After the summit, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, who represented his country at the event, said that authorities in Bamako expected sanctions to end immediately, saying they were disappointed with the outcome of the meeting, although he clarified that the quote pointed to a positive one view.
In this regard, on June 6, the head of Mali’s military junta, Goita, issued a decree formally approving the 24-month transition plan, a document signed by Colonel and Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga It was noted that the transition period will end in March 2024.
Informative digital websites such as theeastafrican.co.ke recall that Cedeao sanctioned Mali after the board failed to meet the originally agreed deadline to hold elections and cede power to a civilian government in late February.
Pressure measures include the financial and economic embargo and asset freezes.
The community insists it can only review these provisions if it has concrete action to restore democracy in the African Sahel country, where attacks on institutions by extremist groups are escalating.
On the other hand, according to the portal Digital Al, the military junta decreed the establishment of the new constitutional commission, which is to draw up the basic law project within two months and submit a report on its work to Colonel Goita every 15 days Wihda.
This move by the Malian authorities is seen as an important aspect of institutional rebuilding and could improve perceptions of Cedeao, but it is not yet enough to determine when elections to restore civility will be held.
However, the urgency of the Economic Community of West African States to hold elections as soon as possible, rather than waiting the two years suggested by the military to complete the transition, could be perfectly aligned with the preparation of the new Magna Carta.
Cedeao believes that the military’s proposal delays the transfer of power to civilians, although this period could really be used, both for institutional reorganization and for solving security problems that have now become more complex due to the distancing from Mali and France.
Bamako and Paris have a diplomatic row that will lead to the gradual withdrawal of French troops from Malian territory, the European country’s President Emmanuel Macron has announced in 2021.
Last month, the defense cooperation treaty with France ended in breach.
Moreover, the perceived weakness of the security “column” would spur on fundamentalists, but a military reinforcement with Cedeao troops and assets in the manner of his surveillance group would smooth the situation, military experts say, as time ticks by. other news.
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