The mediation efforts of leaders of the Economic Comunity of West African Countries (ECOWAS) to quell the political crisis in the Republic of Mali has ended up futile.President Muhammadu Buhari alongside former President, Goodluck Jonathan as well as Presidents Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, Macky Sall of Senegal, Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, had on Thursday travelled to visit the embattled Malian President, Ibrahim Keita to map out solutions to the country’s escalating political crisis.
A resistance group, M5, is insisting that the Constitutional Court must be dissolved, and the President resign, before peace can return to the country.
Crisis erupted after the court nullified results of 31 parliamentary seats in the polls held recently, awarding victory to some other contenders, which the resistance group said was at the instigation of President Keita.
Riots on July 10 led to the killing of some protesters by security agents, causing the crisis to spiral out of control, hence the intervention by ECOWAS.
A statement by Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Friday said the ECOWAS leaders listened to a brief by the ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali, former President Goodluck Jonathan, and leader of the opposition, Imam Mahmoud Dicko.
According to him, the representatives of opposition alliance, M5 and Civil Society Organisations also addressed the ECOWAS leaders at the meeting.
“The host President also briefed the Heads of State and government on the socio-political situation in the country, especially the disagreements that spiralled into protests and violence,’’ Adesina stated.
Speaking to newsmen on the outcome of the meeting, the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, President Mahamadou Issoufou said the sub-regional organisation would do all it could to mitigate political crisis in Mali.
Issoufou, who is the President of Niger Republic, said an extra-ordinary virtual meeting of ECOWAS Heads of State and government will be held on July 26, to further deliberate on the issues raised, with a view to finding lasting solution to the crisis.