West African envoys led by former Nigerian
President, Goodluck Jonathan, have arrived in
Mali’s capital, Bamako, to negotiate the release
of Ibrahim Keita, the ousted President, and the
restoration of a constitutional government.
The delegation was set up by the Economic
Community of West African State following the
political crisis rocking Mali and Keita’s
resignation.
The envoys’ visit comes one day after
thousands crowded into Mali’s capital in a
raucous show of support for the military junta.
Rebel soldiers seized Keita and other leaders
after a mutiny on Tuesday, dealing another
deep blow to a country already struggling with
a brutal Islamist insurgency and widespread
public discontent over its government.
The coup leaders, who identified themselves as
the National Committee for the Salvation of the
People, later declared their intention to form a
civilian transitional government and promised
“a reasonable timeline” for holding new
elections.
Jonathan, who is ECOWAS Special Envoy to
Mali, had visited the country to mediate on the
crisis in July.
Another ECOWAS delegation including
President Muhammadu Buhari also visited the
country for discussions on restoring peace in
the country but the talks did not yield results.
