The Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has called an emergency meeting of members.
The Extraordinary Summit of the Authority is scheduled to be held on Sunday, May 30 in Accra.
Addressing journalists in Accra on Saturday, May 29, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said the Summit is to enable the West African leaders deliberate and take decisions on the evolving political and security situation in Mali.
“As you are all aware, the past few days have witnessed some worrying developments in Mali,” Ms Ayorkor Botchwey said.
“The arrest and detention of the President and Prime Minister of the Transition Government by the military has necessitated a re-evaluation of the strategies adopted by ECOWAS to bring normalcy to the country.”
She said President Akufo-Addo despatched a mediation team led by former Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan to Mali on AU Day to assess the situation.
“His Excellency Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will, therefore, report to the Summit on the outcome of the mission.”
The former Anyaa-Sowutuom Member of Parliament said the move by the president demonstrates his unwavering commitment towards addressing the political situation in Mali.
“It would be recalled that barely a week after his assumption of office as Chair of the ECOWAS Authority, His Excellency the President, convened an emergency Summit, held at Peduase, in response to the military intervention, which saw the ousting of the then President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on 18th August, 2020.
“That meeting took important decisions, including a demand on the Malian authorities to ensure that the Transition Government was civilian-led and should last for a period of 18 months, with effect from 15th September, 2020.
“The Summit also affirmed that once a civilian-led transition government had assumed office, ECOWAS within the context of its protocols will assist Mali to return to democratic governance.
“It is important to note that the President has since been at the centre of efforts, including mediation initiatives, to bring lasting peace and stability to Mali.
“It is hoped that all the political actors in Mali will support the outcome of the Extraordinary Summit to be held tomorrow in order to restore constitutional order in our sister country as soon as practicable.”
So far, 10 heads of state have confirmed their participation with Guinea and Cape Verde the only countries yet to confirm.
Senegal will be represented by its Foreign Minister while Benin is yet to indicate who will represent the country, Ghana’s Foreign Minister said.
