Mali: CSOs Call for Intervention in Crisis

By Development Diaries
July 22, 2020

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in West Africa has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to prioritise its intervention process in the crisis in Mali.

In a letter signed by directors of about 100 CSOs across the region and addressed to the President of Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou, who doubles as the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, the CSOs urged him to address the political unrest resulting from the May legislative elections.

The CSOs also warned that, considering the multidimensional impact the escalation of the crisis in Mali could have on West Africa, an irreparable security situation could manifest in countries like Burkina Faso, Niger, Ivory Coast and Guinea.

The coalition, which was led by the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassan, called on president Issoufou to engage decisively with parties involved to resolve the deadlock between the government of President Ibrahim Keïta and the opposition M5-RFP coalition.

‘We are aware that ECOWAS has engaged with the leadership in Mali, and there are signs of receptivity to dialogue and discourse. We are also encouraged by the meaningful concessions made by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. The same can also be said of Imam Mahmoud Dicko, who continues to interact with diplomats, United Nations officials and the African Union (AU) representative, as all parties seek a peaceful solution to the crisis. Nevertheless, significant work is required to reach a resolution’, they said.

‘Ending hostilities in Mali can give room for negotiations on lasting peace to take place and halt the continued human suffering due to the concurrent conflict and political crises and economic hardship already exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. As the AU seeks to make progress on its campaign of ‘Silencing the Guns in Africa’ by 2020, we, as civil society and faith-based organisations, stand ready to work with ECOWAS in Mali, in any and every way possible’.

Source: CDD West Africa