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West African countries in huddle over situation in Mali

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: May 30, 2021, 08:24 PM IST
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Mali's interim President Assimi Goita being greeted by Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey Photograph:(Reuters)

Story highlights

The summit is likely to take note of a fresh Jihadist attack in Mali that killed at least 5 persons on Sunday

West African leaders were due to meet on Sunday in Ghana to discuss situation in Mali, the country which witnesses second coup in nine monthsh. Mali's new president Colonel Assimi Goita arrived in Accra on Saturday ahead of the extraordinary summit of regional bloc ECOWAS.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara and Burkina Faso's Marc Christian Kabore were among those attending the summit. 

Goita led the young army officers who overthrew Mali's elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last August over perceived corruption and his failure to quell a bloody jihadist insurgency.

After the takeover, the military agreed to appoint civilians as interim president and prime minister under pressure from ECOWAS, which has served as a mediator.

But on Monday, soldiers detained transitional president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane, releasing them on Thursday while saying that they had resigned.

The twin arrests triggered a diplomatic uproar and marked Mali's second apparent coup within a year.
Mali's constitutional court completed Goita's rise to full power on Friday by naming him transitional president.

With the junta going back on its previous commitment to civilian political leaders, doubts have been raised about its other pledges, including holding elections in early 2022.

Jihadist attack

The summit is likely to take note of a fresh Jihadist attack in Mali that killed at least 5 persons on Sunday. The attack took place in the country's southern region. Southern Mali has been mostly spared from Islamist unrest in the country.

Unidentified men attacked a checkpoint near Bougouni town between 3:30 am and 4 am (local time). A local lawmaker told AFP that an outpost used by police and forest rangers was attacked.

(With inputs from agencies)