The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government is to convene an emergency Extra Ordinary Summit in a bid to amicably resolve the political crisis in Mali.
The Chairman of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government, Nana Akufo Addo, who is also the President of Ghana, gave the hint at the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Parliament, first 2021 Ordinary Session ongoing in Abuja, Nigeria.
President Akufo-Addo who decried the development in Mali, noted that the summit will deliberate on how to find lasting solution to the crisis in West Africa, stating that he has authorized the ECOWAS mediation delegation to Mali, which is headed by former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, to do an assessment of the entire situation.
He said after that, he will look at the report and then summon an emergency extraordinary session of heads of states and government of the ECOWAS region to review the relationship between ECOWAS and Mali.
Military takeover
The Speaker of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, also affirmed the regional’s parliament condemnation of the military takeover in Mali.
He enumerated the efforts made so far by ECOWAS Parliament regarding the situation in Mali.
“Earlier this year, I led a Parliamentary Fact-Finding Mission to that country and held discussions with all stakeholders in the transition process.
“We were assured by all parties of their commitment towards a transition to democratic rule”, he said.
“We have observed a few days ago, a dramatic shift in the political situation, which led to the arrest of the Transition President, His Excellency Bah N’Daw and the Prime Minister, Mr. Moctar Ouane”, he added.
Tunis emphasized that “the ECOWAS Parliament condemned in the strongest terms, the military takeover in Mali and all acts in the region that threatens or stalls the process of entrenching democracy across our States.”
“We have made many efforts in securing a peaceful and stable ECOWAS and it is about time we take firm and decisive actions against forces that tend to reverse this trend. The ECOWAS Parliament stands ready to support all efforts aimed at putting Mali on the right trajectory of peace and democracy.”
Release of ex-interim President and Prime Minister
President of ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, said as a community, ECOWAS has engaged the current authorities in Mali for the immediate release of the former interim President and former interim Prime Minister.
He assured that in the coming days, they will have to brief the various organs of ECOWAS and ensure that decision is taken on the matter.
It should be noted that the Republic of Mali is one of the 15-member states of the ECOWAS, with six members of Parliament representing it in the ECOWAS Parliament.
The interim President and Prime Minister resigned on Wednesday, two days after they were arrested by the military.
President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were said to have been taken to a military base outside the capital on Monday after a cabinet reshuffle in which two officers lost their position.
Nneka Ukachukwu
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