The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has said that the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has given Mali a one-week period to either form a transition government or face mixed sanctions.
The sanctions may include the closure of all land and air borders, freezing of all financial transactions and freezing of economic and trade flows between ECOWAS Member States and Mali, with the exception of basic essentials, medication and supplies and equipment for the fight against COVID-19, petroleum products and electricity.
Briefing members of the diplomatic corps on the Peduase consultative meeting, the Minister disclosed that, following extensive deliberations on the architecture and road map for the transition, the military junta agreed that the President and Prime Minister of the transition government must be civilians, and nominations will be done immediately.
“The Transition Vice-President provided for in the Transition Charter shall not, under any circumstances, assume the role of the Transition President; the National Council for the People’s Salvation (CNSP) will be dissolved immediately the civilian transitional government is in place; the transition period will be 18 months maximum,” she said.
“Once a civilian-led transition government has assumed office, ECOWAS within the context of its protocols will fully assist Mali to return to constitutional rule; sanctions will be lifted immediately the Transition President and Prime Minister are appointed; and the ECOWAS Mediator, Goodluck Jonathan, is to undertake a mission to Mali within a week to assess the status of implementation of the decisions of the Authority,” the Minister further outlined.
Consultative forum
Ms Botchwey further disclosed that from September 5-12, 2020, Mali’s military junta organised a national consultative forum with political parties, unions and NGOs, aimed at reaching a consensus on the political transition architecture for Mali to re-establish civilian and democratic rule.
“The outcome of the Malian national consultative meetings formed the framework of a Malian Transition Charter, which, though commendable, has largely been inconsistent with the various decisions of the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS,” she said.
According to her, on the back of the aforementioned, the ECOWAS Chair organised a consultative meeting between eight Heads of State and members of the CNSP to expedite the process for the establishment of the transition government and the restoration of constitutional order in Mali.
Wednesday’s meeting was attended by 48 members of the diplomatic community in Ghana.
Source: dailystatesman.com.gh/Isabella Agyakwa
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