France supports ECOWAS recommendations to resolve the crisis in Mali

14 Juillet 2020

Paris, France, July 14 (Infosplusgabon) - France has called on the main players in the Malian crisis to adopt the recommendations made by the Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS) during its visit to Mali where it met the various belligerents.

“France said it noted the announcements by the President of the Republic of Mali on Saturday evening," saying it supports the ECOWAS mission and the recommendations it made,

Quai d'Orsay said it strongly encourages the parties concerned to go heed calls by ECOWAS.

The French presidency reiterated France's solidarity with the Malian people and called on the parties to the conflict to prioritize dialogue as a matter of urgency in order to find a lasting solution to the political and social crisis in the African country.

An ECOWAS ministerial mission, led by Kalla Ankourao, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Niger and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of ECOWAS, visited Mali in late June and recommended, after meetings with the various Malian protagonists, the restoration of an enabling environment for dialogue between the Malian parties, to avoid violence as a means of crisis resolution.

The mission also recommended the establishment of a consensual government of national unity, taking into account the recommendations of the Inclusive National Dialogue, the acceleration of the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, resulting from the Algiers process, the implementation of the conclusions of the National Inclusive Dialogue as well as planned reforms concerning the Constitution and the Electoral Code and consider a rereading of the texts governing the Constitutional Court.

For over a month, Mali has been going through a political crisis with demonstrations led by Imam Mahmoud Dicko, opposition parties and civil society with the M5 Movement against the government of President Ibrahim Boubakar Kéita.

France, which condemned the violence that took place on July 10 and 11 in Bamako, said the people should always exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully but should also respect government institutions.

The demonstrators denounced the inability of the Malian authorities to deal with insecurity, the economic crisis, the creation of the enabling environment for legislative elections and the decision of the Constitutional Court which they alleged declared results in favour of President IBK's party.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/MOP/GABON2020

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