The Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has held an Extraordinary Virtual Summit.
President Muhammadu Buhari participated in the conference.
At the end, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada said, it examined the current socio-political situation in Mali, characterised by demonstrations, initiated in early June, by a group which includes political parties, civil society organisations and various religious associations.
The group is called the June 5 Movement Group of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP).
He noted that the socio-political situation is taking place in a difficult context for Mali, characterised by security threat, with recurring terrorists’ attacks, inter-community tensions in the central part of the country; a social tension marked by a long strike of school teachers, a health crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and financial consequences.
The minister explained that the current crisis is similar to the one of 2012, when violent demonstrations led to a military coup.
He said in order to avoid a repetition of the situation, an ECOWAS Ministerial Mission was deployed to Bamako from June 18 to 20th by the Chairperson of ECOWAS, to help resolve the crisis.
He added that the Ministerial Mission established the diagnostics of the crisis, and proposed solutions along with some recommendations.
Unfortunately those recommendations were not implemented and demonstrations continued.
He said that with the deterioration of the situation, ECOWAS appointed H.E. DR. GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a Special Envoy to lead a Mediation Mission, to reduce tension.
He noted that the Mediator conducted a mission to Bamako from July 15th to 19th and after meeting all stakeholders, formulated a Roadmap for a way out of the crisis.
The roadmap was accepted by most stakeholders, with the exception of the Strategic Committee of M5-RFP which maintained its demands, namely:
The resignation of the President of the Republic of Mali; The establishment of a transitional regime; The establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the deaths on July 10th, 11th and 12th, and the release of the Honourable Soumaïla Cissé, head of the Parliamentarian Opposition, abducted during the legislative elections.
The M5-RFP has also announced that they will resume demonstrations.
To curb the spiral of violence and reach a lasting solution, a Mission of five Heads of State went to Bamako on Thursday 23July.
The mission comprised of the President of the Republic of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, the Chairperson of ECOWAS Authority who is the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo; the President of the Republic of Cote d’lvoire, Alassane Ouattara, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari and the President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky SALL.
The Mission met the President of the Republic of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, as well as the main stakeholders, such as the M5-RFP Strategic Committee with their Spiritual Leader, the Presidential Majority in the Parliament and civil society leaders.
The mission indicated to all the stakeholders its vision for a necessary and quick way out of the crisis.
Given the seriousness and the urgency of the situation, the Heads of State and Government suggested to hold an Extraordinary Summit with a view to examine the situation and take the necessary decisions to restore peace and stability in Mali.
Following this Extraordinary Summit, the Heads of State and Government express their condolences to the grieving families and wish a prompt recovery to the wounded.
They express deep concerns on the situation likely to increase instability in Mali, and in the sub-region.
They reiterate their call to all Malian stakeholders to avoid violence and resort to dialogue, for the resolution of dispute in a context marked by the multidimensional difficulties that Mali is facing.
The Heads of State and Government insisted on the importance and the need to respect the institutions of the Republic, especially the constitutional means of ascending to power, in conformity with the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
The Head of States and Government therefore took the following decisions
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a. The Parliament: The Heads of State and Government asked all political parties to endeavour to obtain the immediate resignation of all the 31 Members of Parliament, whose election is contested.
These resignations will pave the way for by-elections. Pending the by-elections, the Parliament will operate with the 116 remaining members.
b. The Constitutional Court; the Heads of State and Government ask all the relevant Institutions to facilitate its immediate recomposition according to legal provisions in Mali. The Parliament will propose its representatives after the resignation of the 31 members whose election is contested and the installation of the new bureau. In case of difficulty for the various bodies in designating their members to the Constitutional Court, the President of the Republic will use the exceptional power provided by Article 50 of the Constitution of Mali to nominate the 9 members.
C. The Executive Branch: A National Unity Government will be established rapidly in line with the recommendations of the Mediator. The Heads of States and Government encourage the opposition, in particular, the M5-RFP, to participate in this National Unity Government. The main task of this National Unity Government will be to deal with the consequences of the demonstrations and to implement all reforms and recommendations issued from the Inclusive National Dialogue and to improve governance. In particular, the implementation of the Algiers Agreements will need to be accelerated. Given the numerous challenges facing the country, Some members of Government will be nominated before the National Unity Government is formed. These are the ministries in charge of Defence, Justice, Foreign Affairs, National Security and Finance. d. Inquiries: the Heads of State and Government ask the relevant authorities to conduct quickly those inquiries to determine and identify those responsible for the violence that led to deaths and casualties as well as public and private properties destruction on July 10th, 11th, and 12th 2020
Also, the Heads of State and Government Reiterate their solidarity with Soumaila Cisse, Leader of the Opposition, abducted since March 25. They insist on the Malian Authorities to intensify efforts for his release. They ask the ECOWAS Commission to put in place a Monitoring Committee for the implementation of all the above measures. The Committee will include representatives from Government, Parliament, the Judiciary, Civil Society, M5-RFP, women, the youth, with the participation of the local representative of the African Union, the Uritet Yatishan Etaiet by ECOWAS. They ask all stakeholders to implement all the above decisions and measures within 10 days. The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government request the commission to consider sanctions against all those who act contrary to the normalization process of the crisis.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)