#Mali : The Malian government has announced the launch of a “two-year” transition “process”. However, the regional partners are asking Bamako to organize elections in 16 months maximum.
However, he assured, «lDiscussions are not broken» with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which urges the junta to quickly return power to civilians.
More «the proof is made by A+B that we cannot go below 24 months»et «we cannot accept […] to rush the elections, to rush them to have a clear conscience»added Maïga before the National Council of the Transition (CNT), a body that acts as a legislative body and whose members have been appointed by the government.
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Plunged since 2012 into a deep security crisis that the deployment of foreign forces has not been able to resolve, Mali has experienced two military coups since August 2020.
Like Guinea and Burkina Faso, where the military took power in September 2021 and January 2022 respectively, the country is under pressure from ECOWAS.
“Our sovereignty, our independence”
The regional organization has suspended the three countries from its bodies and is imposing heavy economic sanctions on Mali, a «embargo» who violates «his own texts»according to Maïga, who denounced «the fact of the prince».
In March, ECOWAS demanded the organization of elections within 12 to 16 months in Mali. A visit to Bamako by its mediator for the Malian crisis, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, did not succeed in bringing the transition period desired by the military below the two-year mark.
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On the future of discussions with ECOWAS, Maïga mentioned without further details the arrival of «missions» in Bamako «in the coming days to reach, we hope, an agreement».
The military in power have moved closer to Moscow at the same time as they turned away from France, which has been militarily engaged in the country against the jihadists since 2013.
Mali has thus massively appealed to what it presents as “instructors” from Russia, while Westerners (Paris and Washington in particular) denounce the presence in the country of “mercenaries” from the private Russian group Wagner, which denies firmly the Malian colonels.
Against the backdrop of a diplomatic crisis with the junta, Paris announced in February the withdrawal of its soldiers deployed in Mali, an operation to be completed this summer.
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In a climate of growing tensions between Bamako and the UN, which is asking in vain to be able to investigate in areas where elements of the Malian army have been accused or suspected of having carried out abuses against civilians, the presence of the Russians fuels questions about the future of the United Nations mission in Mali (Minusma), whose mandate is supposed to be renewed in June,
More «it is not in Mali’s interest today to say that we are breaking with Minusma. The mandate will be renewed»Choigel told members of the CNT.
«But we have to get it into our heads that our sovereignty, our independence, our defence, our security, it is our army alone, supported at times by our partners, who can ensure it.»he added, judging that it fulfills «in an extraordinary way of his mission».
The ongoing conflict in Mali has killed thousands of civilians and combatants since 2012.