Mali talks end with no decision on transitional government

25 Aug 2020

Talks between West African mediators and Mali’s military coup leaders ended on Monday after three days of discussions without any decision on the make-up of a transitional government, a junta spokesman said.

Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan, who leads an ECOWAS mediation delegation, speaks to media after the meeting with Mali’s junta following the coup in Bamako, Mali August 24, 2020. REUTERS/Moussa Kalapo

West Africa’s regional bloc dispatched negotiators to Mali at the weekend in a bid to reverse President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s removal from power last week. But talks had focused on who would lead Mali and for how long, rather than the possibility of reinstating the president, diplomats said.

The coup has raised the prospects of further political turmoil in Mali which, like other countries in the region, is facing an expanding threat from Islamist militants.

Courtesy: reuters.com