Buhari Heads To Bamako, Mali Today
President Muhammadu Buhari will Thursday (today) depart for Bamako, republic of Mali on a one day visit following the briefing by ECOWAS Special Envoy to the country, former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a statement on Wednesday, Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity said the trip to Mali follows the briefing of former President Goodluck Jonathan, special envoy of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to Mali.
Mali is currently experiencing a political logjam that has attracted the intervention of African leaders.
“The Nigeria President and some ECOWAS leaders led by the chairman of the authority of heads of state and government of the sub-regional organisation, President Issoufou Mahamadou of Niger Republic, agreed to meet in Mali to engage in further consultations towards finding a political solution to the crisis in the country, the statement read.
“Host President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Presidents Machy Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Allasane Ouattara of Cote d’ivoire are expected to participate in the Bamako meeting.
“Jonathan was at the State House in company of Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of ECOWAS commission, on Tuesday to brief Buhari of the unfolding situation in Mali, necessitating the visit of ECOWAS leaders to consolidate on the agreements reached by various parties.”
“A resistance group, M5, is insisting that the Constitutional Court must be dissolved, and the President resign, before peace can return to the country, ” Adesina said.
Crisis had 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 that it was at the instigation of President Keita.
Riots on July 10, had a led to the killing of some protesters by security agents causing the crisis to spiral out of control, hence the intervention of ECOWAS.
