Ghanaian head of state Nana Akufo-Addo, current president of the West African states (ECOWAS), declared on Sunday (October 11th) during her visit to Bamako that she had “good hope” that the Malian transitional authorities would respect their obligations.
“At the moment, all the actions taken by the transitional authorities give us good hope that they will fulfill their obligations to us,” the Ghanaian president declared during a very brief press conference at the end of his visit.
In particular, accompanied by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, mediator in this crisis, and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, Nana Akufo-Addo met interim president Bah N’daw, a retired colonel, and the interim president, junta leader Colonel Assimi Goïta. He also met with transitional Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, former foreign minister and career diplomat.
The current president of ECOWAS “called on the transitional authorities to complete the timetable for the electoral process in order to reach the presidential and parliamentary elections within the deadline”, according to a statement read during the press conference.
The Ghanaian president also met former Prime Minister Boubou Cissé, one of the eleven civilian and military figures still detained since the coup, whose release Colonel Goïta announced on Wednesday. This release was one of the requirements of ECOWAS. Another of these requirements, the dissolution of the junta, has not yet been met or officially mentioned during the visit.
ECOWAS has lifted its sanctions after obtaining the appointment of a Civilian President and a Prime Minister for transition and renounced by the junta of the possibility of Vice-President, Colonel Goïta, to replace the President in case of obstruction.
(With AFP)
.
