ECOWAS suspends Mali after second coup in 9 months

Mali has been suspended from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.

The decision was announced after an emergency meeting of the sub-region’s leaders in Accra, Ghana on Sunday.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs minister, Shirley Ayorko Botchwey told journalists that the Malian junta’s non-adherence to the mediatory role of ECOWAS necessitated the decision of ECOWAS leaders.

She added that the West Africa leaders gave a few days ultimatum to the Colonel Assimi Goitta-led junta to restore a civilian to the post of Prime Minister, so that the transition agreed to following the ouster of the democratically-elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last August, is followed up to its February, 2022 terminal date.

ECOWAS special envoy and former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan had briefed the meeting behind closed-doors of his mediatory trips to Mali last week.

Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari was among the leaders who attended the one-day emergency meeting in Accra.