New Telegraph

Jonathan meets Malian stakeholders, halts planned protest

Former Nigerian President and ECOWAS Special Envoy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has begun his mediation efforts to find a solution to the political crisis in Mali. Jonathan, who arrived Bamako on Wednesday evening, met with critical stakeholders, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, leaders of the opposition and heads of international organisations in the country.

The effort may have begun to bear fruits as leaders of the Malian opposition alliance that were demanding President Keita’s resignation called off their scheduled protest, soon after Jonathan met with Imam Mahmoud Dicko, an influential cleric and prominent force behind the protest movement. Spokesman for the June 5 Movement, organisers of the demonstration initially set for Friday, stated that they decided to transform the protest into memorial services to be held only in mosques for victims killed in violence last week. Jonathan met with Dicko and other critical stakeholders for several hours on Wednesday night after meeting with President Keita at his official residence.

The consultations continued yesterday with the main opposition known as M5-RFP and other pressure groups. The June 5 Movement is an alliance of political, social and civil-society leaders who are loyal to Imam Dicko. In an interview with newsmen at the airport on Wednesday, Jonathan sued for cooperation from different Malian stakeholders, charging them to remain patriotic as efforts were made towards resolving the crisis in the country.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had set up the Jonathan-led peace mission and mandated it to mediate in the escalating political crisis in Mali. Since leaving office in 2015, Jonathan has been involved in peace mediations in many countries and has continued to lead several electoral observation missions for many international organisations, including the Commonwealth and the African Union. The international community has continued to express concern over the ongoing crisis in Mali given the country’s poverty index, ethnic configuration and strategic location at the heart of the Sahel region. Many Malians are, however, hopeful that the efforts currently being made by Jonathan would help restore calm in the troubled nation.

In a message issued by its embassy in Bamako, the United States urged all sides to show restraint and “commit to a rejection of any extra constitutional changes of government”. It also welcomed the arrival of the ECOWAS delegation. President Keita is facing an uprising of the people who are angry over Mali’s dire economic conditions, the worsening jihadist insurgency and the outcome of recent parliamentary elections. Three days of clashes with the security forces left 11 people dead and 158 injured, according to an official tally and this is Mali’s bloodiest toll from political unrest in years.

Keita has, however, made several gestures toward the June 5 Movement, including the dissolution of the Constitutional Court in search of a solution on the contested seats. ECOWAS had, last month, sent a mission of foreign ministers to Mali which made some recommendations and prepared grounds for the current mediation.

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