The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey

Ghana supports calls for civilian-led transitional govt in Mali

News Desk Report Aug - 21 - 2020 , 09:45 2 minutes read

Ghana has reiterated its solidarity with the positions expressed by the ECOWAS Commission, the African Union and the United Nations Security Council as well as other international organisations in rejecting the unconstitutional change of government in Mali.

The government of Ghana said it supported the call for the establishment of a transitional government headed by a civilian to oversee the return to normalcy, peace and order as well as constitutional rule in Mali as provided for in that country’s constitution.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, made this known when she represented President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at a virtual ECOWAS Summit on the Mali crisis yesterday.

Condemnation

At the summit, Ghana joined the rest of the members of ECOWAS in condemning the military mutiny that toppled the civilian government in Mali on August 18, 2020.

Former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse were arrested by soldiers in Bamako on Tuesday and detained for hours.

Mr Keïta subsequently resigned, dissolving his government and Parliament.

The conference came on the back of Mali's suspension from the sub-regional bloc.

Mali has also seen its borders closed, with ECOWAS looking at possibilities of sanctions against the crisis-prone country.

Colonel Assimi Goita has emerged as the new military leader of Mali, a development Ghana believed would not advance democracy in the region.

Ghana against coup d’état

Ms Botchwey told the summit that the events in Mali were taking place at a time when the country was experiencing socio-economic and political difficulties, complicated by security threats posed by jihadists and extremists which had been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to her, the security situation in Mali posed a grave danger to regional security if not urgently and effectively managed.

"The situation has the potential to escalate jihadist activities in the country and the Sahel region in general. It also has the potential to destabilise the region and further undermine development within Mali," the minister said.