The country should return to the rails of the transition period, as defined by ECOWAS, the Secretary of State noted.
The United States is ready to resume assistance to Mali when a democratically elected government is formed in this African country. This, as reported by the Senegalese Press Agency, was stated by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a meeting with Senegalese Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall n Dakar.
“We hope to do the right thing to resume assistance as soon as the democratically elected Government of Mali takes office. We are ready to support Mali, but the country must return to the rails of the transition period, as defined by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States),” Blinken said.
“We have concerns about the stability of Mali. We stand in solidarity with ECOWAS on the issue of organizing democratic elections, which should be held by February next year,” the Secretary of State continued.
“We are talking about Malians and their aspirations for democracy, development, and respect for human rights. We are working for the transition to democracy in Mali,” Blinken summed up.
Mali has experienced two military coups since August 2020. During the first one, which took place on August 18, 2020, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was removed from power. The military group appointed Ba N’Daou as interim President of Mali.
However, on May 26 of this year, he was ousted by the same group of military, and by a decision of the Constitutional Court, Vice-President Assimi Goita became President of Mali during the transitional period and head of State. At that moment, the new leadership of Mali confirmed the commitments made by the country’s authorities in September 2020 to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in February 2022.
