Published on : 07/06/2022 – 00:00
The head of the junta in power in Mali, Colonel Assimi Goïta, initialed on Monday a decree setting the duration of the so-called transition period at two years, before returning power to civilians. It started on March 26.
Partially responding to repeated requests from ECOWAS to hurry the transition, the ruling junta in Mali gave himself, Monday, June 6, until March 2024 before returning power to civilians.
The leader of the junta, Colonel Assimi Goïtasigned a decree to this effect read on state television and stipulating that “the duration of the transition is set at 24 months, (from) starting March 26, 2022”.
This announcement comes two days after a summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which imposed severe trade and financial retaliation measures on Mali on January 9 to force the junta to present a timetable. “acceptable” return of civilians to power.
The ECOWAS in particular, in March, asked the transitional authorities to adhere to the recommended transition schedule of 12 to 16 months.
Claims lowered under sanctions
The colonels who took over by force in August 2020 the leadership of this country plunged since 2012 into a deep security, political and humanitarian crisis have withdrawn from their initial commitment to give way to civilians after elections scheduled last February.
At the beginning of the year, they even planned to govern for up to five more years. Before the ECOWAS summit, while the sanctions accentuate the crisis in this poor and landlocked country, they had reduced their claims to 24 months, without formalizing them as they did on Monday.
With the approach of the summit on Saturday, the continuation of the dialogue between ECOWAS and the junta had raised in Mali some hope in the lifting of sanctions. Divided over what to do, West African leaders deferred any decision to a new summit on July 3.
But they decided to “continue the dialogue in order to reach an agreement allowing a gradual lifting of the sanctions as the stages of the transition are completed”. It remains to be seen whether the decree will have an impact.
With AFP