Moctar Ouane, the new Malian prime minister, now has 48 hours to form his government. This former foreign minister had been driven away from Malian political life in recent years. He was for some time a diplomatic adviser to UEMOA. Within the Malian political class, the appointment of a civilian as prime minister seems to be unanimous.
New Malian Prime Minister Moctar Ouane does not come from the local political backwater. It is quite far from the parties, which is an advantage when we want to organize transparent elections. At this point, for example, he was preferred over the 14 candidates for the M5, the movement that contributed to the fall of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
But during his inaugural address, President Bah Ndao insisted, recalling a conversation partner who knows him well, on the fact that we can not do everything in 18 months. He wanted to appoint the prime minister, continues the same source, one who can get to the point quickly and without spreading. The interim president is retired. You need someone with him who has an extensive address book, especially outside the country. Moctar Ouane has the profile. Former Foreign Minister, he has also represented Mali abroad. Which is an asset. But it can also help consolidate relations with countries in the sub-region.
Enarch
He personally knows several heads of state. And before he was appointed Prime Minister, he worked for UEMOA, where he was in charge of the “peace and security” section. Another feature to occupy the Prime Minister’s office.
Educated in Dakar and then in France on the benches of the National School of Administration, he comes from the Mopti region in the center of the country and has 64 years of experience in diplomacy. For seven years, Moctar represented Ouane Mali as Ambassador to the United Nations before being appointed Foreign Minister in 2004. He remained there until 2011, re-elected from government to government under the presidency of Amadou Toumani Touré. “He is a fine connoisseur of the institutions of the republic,” slides an informed observer who also knows a passion for former French President François MItterrand. “He has read all his books,” he says.
In recent years, Moctar Ouane was withdrawn from the national political scene as a UEMOA official. First as a political adviser, then as a general delegate with responsibility for peace and security. Will he be able to make an asset in the current context of rejecting the population of its leader? And to try to unite a divided Malian political class? The first test will undoubtedly be the formation of his government, which was announced for next Tuesday.
A consensus that raises everyone’s expectations
In Mali, meanwhile, many describe him as a worker, a simple man, a man dedicated to the task. But will he be able to juggle the various civilian and military profiles leading the transition? “The hallmarks of diplomats are flexibility and the ability to find the right words for interlocutors. And there, his quality of diplomacy could be useful, ”estimates Moussa Mara, former prime minister and president of the political party Yéléma.
Because on the home front, the list of complaints is still long. The next step for Moctar Ouane will be to appoint a consensus government. What place will the M5 occupy there, the protest movement that before the putsch demanded the departure of IBK? This movement had submitted a list of 14 candidates for the post of prime minister. Mohamed Ali Bathily is one of the M5 leaders.
“We wanted a change from the problems in Mali. It was not a matter of fighting for personal ambition. Those who submitted their candidacies within the M5 certainly had their reasons. I do not want them to feel frustrated in any way. I am convinced that Mr. Moctar Ouane is in his place, ”said the manager.
For Ibrahim Sangho of the Citizen Observatory for Good Governance, the appointment of a civilian is a good sign sent to the international community. But it remains at the regional and national level to clarify certain points.
Taking someone off the M5 would further crystallize the M5’s relationship with the authorities
Ibrahim Sangho
For Mamadou Konaté, former Minister of Justice and now lawyer at the court, one of the challenges for the new Prime Minister will be to ensure that all the civilian or military profiles that make up this transition are coordinated.
It is a major challenge to put together a government with men and women representing Mali on the one hand to pursue the goals of the transition and ensure that the relationship of trust between military and civilian forces is restored. and policies, all in perfect harmony with an international community that keeps an eye on the grain
Mamadou Ismaïla Konaté
On the regional front, ECOWAS notes the appointment of a civilian, but is still waiting for the new version of the transitional charter, which is still not known to everyone.
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