It is the turn of the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) to react. The Permanent Council of La Francophonie (CPF), meeting in an extraordinary session by videoconference, Tuesday, August 25, "decided to pronounce the suspension of the Republic of Mali from the Francophonie while maintaining the cooperation actions directly benefiting the civilian populations, thus than those contributing to the restoration of democracy, "said the organization in a statement.

The organization calls for the release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK), overthrown on August 18 and detained since, "as well as the establishment, as soon as possible, of a transitional government led by a civilian authority ". The statement expresses the intention to send a high-level delegation to Bamako in the coming days to assess the situation.

ECOWAS, which has also suspended Mali from its decision-making bodies, has sent a delegation to Bamako in recent days to work for an "immediate" restoration of President Keïta and constitutional order. The delegation and the junta broke up on Monday without agreeing on the terms of a transition.

The delegation must now report to ECOWAS, but it expressed the hope that the junta will accede within 24 or 48 hours to its request for a transition limited to about a year or less and led by a civil personality, and not not military. The junta did not announce any position on Tuesday.

ECOWAS summit postponed

A summit of ECOWAS heads of state originally scheduled for Wednesday was postponed to Friday, the organization's communications director, Sandra Oulate, told AFP.

The leaders are supposed to examine the need to maintain or not, even to reinforce sanctions already taken, such as the closure of the borders of the member states with Mali and the stop of financial and trade flows. The military say they are worried about the effect of these retaliatory measures on a country facing, in addition to the jihadist spread and intercommunal violence, the economic slump and the failures of the state.

The ECOWAS had said on August 20 to deny "categorically any form of legitimacy to the military coup". Analysts note, however, an inclination for pragmatism among Mali's partners. Discussions between the military and the ECOWAS delegation seem to have confirmed that the initial demand for a return to power of IBK is no longer on the agenda.

Meetings

The National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) set up by the junta received on Monday the Ambassador of France and the Commander of the French anti-jihadist force in the Sahel (Barkhane) as well as the Ambassador of Algeria, mediator of an important agreement between the Malian authorities and rebel groups in 2015, according to images of the meetings published on the CNSP's Twitter account.

Tuesday, it was the turn of the ambassadors of the United States and Italy and a delegation from the G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Chad in addition to Mali) according to the CNSP.

The CNSP is to receive on Wednesday representatives of the so-called 5-June movement which had led for weeks a large civil protest destabilizing President Keïta.

With AFP

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