ECOWAS warns Mali’s progress towards February polls insufficient
3 years, 3 months ago

ECOWAS warns Mali’s progress towards February polls insufficient

Al Jazeera  

Regional bloc says it feared potential delays in elections aimed at restoring civilian rule in Mali following last year’s coup. West Africa’s main regional bloc says it is concerned Mali’s transitional government has not made sufficient progress towards organising elections early next year, as agreed after a military coup last year. Mali’s transition back to democracy following the August 2020 overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is being closely watched in a region that has experienced four coups since last year, most recently in Guinea on Sunday. After the coup, Mali’s military leaders agreed, under pressure from ECOWAS, to an 18-month transition, culminating in presidential and legislative elections in February 2022.

Coup Mali  overthrow  polls  progress  statement  warns  malis  president  regional  coup  transition  agreed  insufficient  elections  ecowas

History of this topic

Senegal’s government sets March 24 as the new date for the delayed presidential election
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Senegal’s government sets March 24 as the new date for the delayed presidential election

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — The Senegalese government has set March 24 as the new date for the country’s delayed presidential election, its spokesperson said Wednesday after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, also announcing the dissolution of the government and appointment of a new prime minister. Senegal’s highest election authority, the Constitutional Council, rejected the move to delay the vote …

ECOWAS holds emergency session over Senegal crisis and member exits
10 months, 2 weeks ago

ECOWAS holds emergency session over Senegal crisis and member exits

Al Jazeera  

Political drama in four member states has led to questions about the broader role of the almost 50-year-old bloc. West African foreign ministers are holding emergency talks on Thursday in Nigeria’s capital Abuja to discuss the political crisis in Senegal and disputes with military rulers in three other member states. The ECOWAS Mediation & Security Council said ministers would gather …

Mali’s military government postpones a presidential election intended to restore civilian rule
1 year, 2 months ago

Mali’s military government postpones a presidential election intended to restore civilian rule

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — Mali’s military government has postponed a presidential election that was expected to return the West African nation to democracy following a 2020 coup, a government spokesperson said Monday. The presidential election scheduled for February 2024 is being delayed for “technical reasons” to allow the transitional government to review its election data and to address a new constitutional …

Niger junta’s 3-year transition plan is a ‘provocation,’ says West African regional bloc
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger junta’s 3-year transition plan is a ‘provocation,’ says West African regional bloc

Associated Press  

NIAMEY, Niger — The West African bloc ECOWAS rejected the proposal by Niger’s mutinous soldiers for a three-year transition to democratic rule, with a commissioner describing the slow timeline as a provocation. The door for diplomacy with Niger’s junta remained open but the bloc is not going to engage in drawn-out talks that lead nowhere, Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS commissioner …

Niger coup: ECOWAS delegation meets deposed president, military govt leader
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger coup: ECOWAS delegation meets deposed president, military govt leader

Al Jazeera  

Soldiers who overthrew the democratically elected president in July have quickly entrenched themselves in power and rebuffed dialogue efforts. A delegation from West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS has met Niger’s ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and held talks with military government leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani. On Friday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Simao would meet the military rulers and other parties …

ECOWAS calls for second emergency summit to discuss Niger coup
1 year, 4 months ago

ECOWAS calls for second emergency summit to discuss Niger coup

Al Jazeera  

West African bloc to meet days after its deadline expired for Niger’s coup plotters to reinstate the ousted president. West African leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss Niger after coup leaders who seized power there on July 26 defied a deadline to reinstate the ousted president or face the threat of military intervention, a spokesman for the regional bloc …

Niger coup: Divisions as ECOWAS military threat fails to play out
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger coup: Divisions as ECOWAS military threat fails to play out

Al Jazeera  

All eyes are on the next move by West African leaders who vowed to attack coup leaders in Niger if they failed to free the detained president and revert back to a democratically elected government. While some observers say the bloc’s hardline stance was prompted by Western allies – the United States and France in particular – ECOWAS’s moves reflect …

Timeline: A history of ECOWAS military interventions in three decades
1 year, 4 months ago

Timeline: A history of ECOWAS military interventions in three decades

Al Jazeera  

The West African bloc has a history of successful military interventions to restore constitutional order within the region. This has prompted the Economic Community of West African States to impose sanctions and issue a one-week ultimatum to the interim military government to reinstall Bazoum or face possible use of force. The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group, the …

Sahel insecurity, post-coup sanctions loom large at ECOWAS summit
2 years, 5 months ago

Sahel insecurity, post-coup sanctions loom large at ECOWAS summit

Al Jazeera  

The Western African leaders are expected to discuss efforts to restore civilian rule in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. West African leaders are meeting in Ghana’s capital for a summit of the Economic Community of African States, where rising insecurity in the Sahel and questions over how the bloc will move to restore civilian rule following three separate military coups …

West African leaders lift economic sanctions on Mali
2 years, 5 months ago

West African leaders lift economic sanctions on Mali

Al Jazeera  

Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States gathered to assess efforts to secure timetables for restoring civilian rule in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States have lifted economic and financial sanctions imposed on Mali, after its military rulers proposed a 24-month transition to democracy and published a new electoral law. …

ECOWAS unhappy with Mali’s 24-month transition decision
2 years, 6 months ago

ECOWAS unhappy with Mali’s 24-month transition decision

Al Jazeera  

Heads of state from ECOWAS member countries have agreed not to lift sanctions against Mali unless the government proposes a shorter transition. The Economic Community of West African States says it regrets a decision by Mali’s interim government to delay the return to civilian rule by 24 months while negotiations between the two sides were ongoing. “ECOWAS regrets that while …

Mali military promises return to civilian rule in March 2024
2 years, 6 months ago

Mali military promises return to civilian rule in March 2024

Al Jazeera  

Generals hope new offer will lead to lifting of sanctions were imposed after they reneged on an earlier promise to hold elections in February. Mali’s military rulers have proposed the restoration of civilian rule in two years, following an August 2020 coup and a failure to meet an earlier deadline for elections that led to crippling sanctions. Military leader Colonel …

West African leaders put off further post-coup sanctions
2 years, 6 months ago

West African leaders put off further post-coup sanctions

Associated Press  

ACCRA, Ghana — West African heads of state put off further punishing the leaders of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso at a regional summit Saturday, as coup leaders in all three countries continue to insist that it will take years before new elections can be held. The 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS will convene again on July 3 before …

ECOWAS asks Burkina Faso junta for election date proposal
2 years, 10 months ago

ECOWAS asks Burkina Faso junta for election date proposal

Associated Press  

ACCRA, Ghana — West African regional leaders refrained Thursday from imposing sanctions against the new military junta in Burkina Faso, instead calling on the new rulers propose a firm date for returning the country to democratic rule. But the regional body known as ECOWAS will take further action if the junta continues to detain Burkina Faso’s deposed leader Roch Marc …

Malians rally after army calls for protests over ECOWAS sanctions
2 years, 11 months ago

Malians rally after army calls for protests over ECOWAS sanctions

Al Jazeera  

Thousands protest across Mali in support of ruling military after West Africa bloc imposed sanctions over delayed vote. Nouhoum Sarr, a member of Mali’s transitional legislature, said “our country will be saved and liberated by the Malian army and the entire Malian people”. “Long live Assimi,” said Abdoulaye Yanoga, a 27-year-old unemployed man at the rally, referring to Mali’s leader. …

Mali’s ruler urges ECOWAS to reconsider ‘inhumane’ sanctions
2 years, 11 months ago

Mali’s ruler urges ECOWAS to reconsider ‘inhumane’ sanctions

Al Jazeera  

Mali’s military government is facing sanctions by the regional bloc after proposing to delay elections by nearly four years. Mali’s military ruler Assimi Goita has said Bamako is open to dialogue after the 15-member West African economic bloc, ECOWAS, imposed additional sanctions on the troubled Sahel country over delayed elections. “There is concern about the consequences of these measures, but …

Mali ‘strongly condemns’ ECOWAS sanctions; closes land borders
2 years, 11 months ago

Mali ‘strongly condemns’ ECOWAS sanctions; closes land borders

Al Jazeera  

Mali’s military-dominated government has “strongly” condemned “illegal” sanctions imposed on the country by the Economic Community of West African States, adding that it has closed its land borders “with the states concerned”. Military spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said in a televised statement on Monday that “the government of Mali strongly condemns these illegal and illegitimate sanctions”. Regional airlines such as …

West Africa bloc ECOWAS hits Mali with sanctions after poll delay
2 years, 11 months ago

West Africa bloc ECOWAS hits Mali with sanctions after poll delay

Al Jazeera  

Regional body to close borders with Mali and impose economic sanctions after coup leaders postponed the vote. West Africa’s main regional bloc will close borders with Mali and impose sweeping economic sanctions in response to delays holding promised elections after a 2020 military coup, the bloc has said. The 15-member bloc said it had agreed to impose additional sanctions with …

West African leaders to discuss Mali’s political crisis
2 years, 11 months ago

West African leaders to discuss Mali’s political crisis

Al Jazeera  

ECOWAS meeting comes after months of increasing tensions over the timetable for restoring civilian rule in Mali after a military takeover in 2020. West African leaders are gathering to discuss Mali’s political crisis with the military government about submitting a new timeframe for a transition back to civilian rule at the last minute after its first proposal was rejected. The …

Mali proposes five-year election delay to West African bloc
2 years, 11 months ago

Mali proposes five-year election delay to West African bloc

Al Jazeera  

The transitional government initially agreed to hold presidential and legislative elections in February 2022 amid pressure from ECOWAS. Mali’s interim authorities have proposed to its West African neighbours that a transition back to democracy following a 2020 military coup be extended by five years, the foreign minister said in comments broadcast on Saturday. The transitional government initially agreed to hold …

Mali’s leader promises election timetable by new year
3 years ago

Mali’s leader promises election timetable by new year

Al Jazeera  

The leader of Mali’s military government says a timetable for a return to democratic rule will be announced by January 31. The head of Mali‘s military-dominated government on Sunday promised West Africa’s regional bloc that he would provide it with an election timetable by January 2022. The head of Mali’s transitional government, Colonel Assimi Goita, justified postponing the election and …

Mali expels ECOWAS envoy from the country
3 years, 2 months ago

Mali expels ECOWAS envoy from the country

Al Jazeera  

ECOWAS, West Africa’s main political and economic bloc, has been pressing Mali to respect its commitment to hold elections. Mali’s transitional government has given the Economic Community of West African States special representative 72 hours to leave the country following “actions incompatible with his status”, the foreign ministry said. “The government of the Republic of Mali has decided to declare …

ECOWAS resorts to sanctions over Guinea and Mali coups
3 years, 3 months ago

ECOWAS resorts to sanctions over Guinea and Mali coups

Al Jazeera  

West Africa bloc freezes financial assets, imposes travel bans on Guinea’s coup leaders while also calling for elections in Mali by February 2022. West Africa’s main regional bloc has imposed sanctions against the military government in Guinea and those slowing Mali’s post-coup transition – its toughest response yet to a run of military takeovers. The move on Thursday was agreed …

ECOWAS suspends Mali over second coup in nine months
3 years, 6 months ago

ECOWAS suspends Mali over second coup in nine months

Al Jazeera  

West African leaders condemn coup and call for a return to democracy, but stop short of imposing new sanctions. West African leaders have suspended Mali from their regional bloc in response to last week’s coup but stopped short of imposing new sanctions. Leaders of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States held an emergency summit in Ghana’s capital, Accra …

Mali coup leader heads to Ghana for ECOWAS crisis talks
3 years, 6 months ago

Mali coup leader heads to Ghana for ECOWAS crisis talks

Al Jazeera  

Colonel Assimi Goita, Mali’s coup leader and newly appointed interim president, has been summoned to an emergency meeting of West African leaders in Ghana. The office of Mali’s president, in a statement on Facebook, said Goita would take part in the extraordinary summit “alongside his counterparts” and would also hold bilateral talks with regional leaders. ECOWAS – which acted as …

What next for Mali after second coup within a year?
3 years, 6 months ago

What next for Mali after second coup within a year?

Al Jazeera  

Colonel Assimi Goita, who has led two military coups in nine months, named country’s interim president. Colonel Assimi Goita, who led the August 2020 coup and was Ndaw’s deputy in the transitional administration formed in late September with the task of steering the country towards full civilian rule, said he was not consulted on the reshuffle, which was announced amid …

Mali sets February date for presidential, parliamentary elections
3 years, 8 months ago

Mali sets February date for presidential, parliamentary elections

Al Jazeera  

Date upholds promise of an 18-month transition for returning to an elected government in wake of August 2020 coup, minister says. Mali’s transitional government has announced presidential and legislative elections will take place next February, saying it was honouring the timetable it promised to the international community after taking power months after a military coup last year. On August 18, …

West Africa bloc fails to reach agreement with Mali military
4 years, 3 months ago

West Africa bloc fails to reach agreement with Mali military

Al Jazeera  

Leaders of ECOWAS met heads of Mali’s military in the latest attempt to quicken the transition from military leadership. West African mediators have failed to persuade leaders of a military coup in Mali to immediately hand over power to a civilian government. On Tuesday, leaders of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States met the heads of a military …

Mali military rulers delay first meeting over transfer of powers
4 years, 3 months ago

Mali military rulers delay first meeting over transfer of powers

Al Jazeera  

Army officers who overthrew president earlier this month postpone meeting to later date due to ‘organisational reasons’. Mali’s military rulers have said they postponed their first meeting over the transfer of powers due to “organisational reasons”, almost two weeks after removing former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in a coup. The 15-member Economic Community of West African States regional bloc suspended …

Mali coup leaders, ECOWAS fail to reach agreement on transition
4 years, 4 months ago

Mali coup leaders, ECOWAS fail to reach agreement on transition

Al Jazeera  

Talks between a delegation of West African envoys and the military officers who overthrew Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita have ended without a deal on how the country should return to civilian rule following last week’s coup. The mediation team from the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States would report to heads of state on progress made before …

Mali troops plan ‘transitional’ gov’t; Africa bloc to send envoys
4 years, 4 months ago

Mali troops plan ‘transitional’ gov’t; Africa bloc to send envoys

Al Jazeera  

Coup leaders say ‘transitional’ president from civilian or military ranks to be appointed as ECOWAS plans delegation. Rebel troops who have taken power in Mali have said “a transitional president” would be appointed who would be drawn from either civilian or military ranks. “We are going to set in place a transitional council, with a transitional president who is going …

Mali soldiers promise elections after coup condemned abroad
4 years, 4 months ago

Mali soldiers promise elections after coup condemned abroad

India Today  

Soldiers who ousted Mali’s president and government in a military coup that drew condemnation abroad promised on Wednesday to restore stability and oversee a transition to elections within a “reasonable” period. The coup was quickly condemned on Tuesday by Mali’s regional and international partners, who fear Keita’s fall could further destabilise the former French colony and West Africa’s entire Sahel …

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