Leaders of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have demanded the reinstatement of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as Mali’s president.
Keita was forced to resign in the early hours of Wednesday by soldiers who toppled his government on Tuesday.
The ECOWAS leaders made the demand after an emergency summit called to review the situation in Mali. They also announced plans to visit Bamako, the Malian capital, amid growing concerns about regional stability.
Other resolutions taken at the extra-ordinary session are:
*Firmness on the restoration of constitutional order;
*Release of those arrested;
*Stoppage of economic relations with Mali, with exceptions granted to staple foods, fuel and medication, for the sake of the people.
The leaders also called for continued engagement with all parties to the crisis. They mandated former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Special Envoy on the crisis, and ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, to convey the decisions of the West African leaders to the parties.
The 15-nation bloc convened the virtual Extra-ordinary Session on the socio-political situation in Mali after it suspended it, shut off borders and halted financial flows in response to the overthrow of Keita.
The President lamented that the situation in Mali is a setback for regional diplomacy, which, according to him, poses a threat to the peace and security of the sub-region.
Buhari, who condemned the Malian military for breaching the very letter and spirit of the ECOWAS protocol on good governance and democracy, urged leaders of the sub-region to ensure that the breach of protocol in Mali does not survive.
He called for the unconditional release of the ousted President, his Prime Minister and other government functionaries held with him.
Buhari hailed the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN) and other international bodies for condemning the military coup and urged them to work with ECOWAS to restore peace and order in the country by insisting on the supremacy of constitutional provisions.
The President said: “The action of the military runs counter to the letter and spirit of ECOWAS Protocol on good governance and democracy in which unconstitutional change of governments is prohibited.
“The Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government should not allow this dastardly act to stand. Nigeria stands by the provisions of the Protocol on Good Governance and Democracy.
“Mali has been in political turmoil since the results of the parliamentary elections were announced in March. ECOWAS interventions, through a series of efforts by ministers, the special envoy and chief mediator and a group of heads of states of our organisation as well as an Extraordinary Summit did not yield positive results. Today, Mali has not only descended into political chaos but also socio-economic and security disaster with potentially tragic consequences to Mali and the sub-region.
“I am pleased that ECOWAS, EU, UN and France issued strongly-worded statements against the action of the Malian military. The events in Mali are great setbacks for regional diplomacy which have grave consequences for the peace and security of West Africa. I am pleased, therefore, that this extra-ordinary summit, holding to discuss pathways to the debacle we face today in Mali, is most timely and appropriate.
