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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari will Thursday participate in a Virtual Extraordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on the situation in Mali.
The Personal Assistant on New Media to the President, Bashir Ahmad, indicated this Twitter on Thursday.
‘President Muhammadu Buhari will tomorrow, participate in a virtual Extraordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS’ Heads of State and Government, the recent political crisis in Mali is expected to be at the top of the agenda,’ the aide tweeted.
President @MBuhari and other ECOWAS leaders are meeting (virtually) today to discuss the military coup in Mali that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) August 20, 2020
President Buhari and four other ECOWAS leaders had visited Bamako, Mali, last month, followed by a virtual extraordinary summit of the sub-regional body.
The ECOWAS Special Envoy to the Republic of Mali, former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan, had on Tuesday briefed Mr Buhari on the political situation in the West African country as corollary to efforts by West African leaders to restore stability to the country.
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita had at about Tuesday midnight announced his resignation, saying that he does not wish blood to be shed following a military mutiny that plunged his country into a political crisis.
‘Today, certain parts of the military have decided that intervention was necessary. Do I really have a choice? Because I do not wish blood to be shed,’ Keita had said in a brief statement broadcast on national television.
Keita said that he has decided ‘to give up my duty from now on.’
The soldiers who ousted Keita on Wednesday said they plan to set up a civilian transitional government and hold new elections.
The spokesman for the soldiers said they acted to prevent the country falling further into chaos.
The African Union, regional leaders, and the UN have condemned the coup.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current African Union (AU) chairperson, urged the soldiers to release President Keita and others government officials being detained.
The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency session on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments.
Mali, a vast country stretching into the Sahara Desert is among the poorest countries in the world and has experienced several military takeovers. It is currently battling to contain a wave of jihadist attacks and ethnic violence.
