Politics

Mali Crisis: Buhari, ECOWAS Leaders Attend Virtual Meeting

July 27, 2020
11:29 am

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday joined other sub-regional leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in an extra-ordinary virtual meeting to mitigate the political crisis in Mali.

The meeting was summoned in line with the outcome of Thursday’s meeting of the ECOWAS leaders in Bamako, Mali.

Read Also: Buhari To Depart Nigeria For Mali On Peace Mission

Mahamadou Issoufou, the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, had on that Thursday, said the sub-regional organisation would do all it could to address the crisis in Mali.

A resistance group, M5, is insisting that the Constitutional Court must be dissolved, and the President resign, before peace can return to the country.

Crisis erupted after the court nullified results of 31 parliamentary seats in the polls held recently, awarding victory to some other contenders, which the resistance group said was at the instigation of President Keita.

Riots on July 10 led to the killing of some protesters by security agents, causing the crisis to spiral out of control, hence the intervention by ECOWAS.

But the Special Envoy of ECOWAS to Mali, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who earlier paid a peace mission to Mali last two weeks, said: “ECOWAS felt that the violent protest should not continue, so I should lead a special team to go again and engage them (protesters).

AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK