Mali: Goodluck Jonathan meets the head of the junta and the president of the transition

Former Nigerian President Gooduck Jonathan during a visit to Bamako, Mali, July 23, 2020 (photo illustration).

MICHELE CATTANI / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

At the heart of the concerns for this visit by the ECOWAS mediator: the architecture of the Malian transition and the lifting of economic sanctions.

Goodluck Jonathan arrived in Bamako yesterday, and this Thursday, he met the two figures of the transition.

Publicity

Read more

With our special correspondent in Bamako

,

Goodluck Jonathan

started his day with an interview with the head of the junta that overthrew Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Assimi Goïta, now acting vice-president.

The interview lasted about 1.5 hours and took place at the Ministry of Defense.

The two men then left together for the base camp, a presidential residence, this time to meet

, very discreet since his appointment.

A 45-minute “courtesy” visit, according to the terms of the official program.

And this for a simple reason of protocol: Bah N'Daw is still not officially invested.

It will be tomorrow, Friday.

Towards a lifting of sanctions

At the heart of today's talks, there was the question of the Prime Minister.

From the start, the ECOWAS pleaded for a rapid transition embodied by civilians with a dissolution of the junta.

Goodluck Jonathan also came to plead for the release of a number of former officials arrested at the time of the coup and still detained since, including former Prime Minister Boubou Cissé.

The mediator did not speak at the end of these meetings on the question of sanctions which is burning everyone's lips in Bamako.

For two days, the same message has been sent to the press: Goodluck Jonathan will speak on the results of his mission after the investiture.

It will then be up to the Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Ado, to decide on a possible lifting of the embargo on Mali, as current president of the sub-regional organization.

An embargo that weighs on the populations.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Mali

• ECOWAS

• Goodluck Jonathan

On the same subject

Mali: Goodluck Jonathan in Bamako for a possible lifting of ECOWAS sanctions

Mali: the CMA maintains the pressure on the junta around the Algiers agreement

Mali: after the appointment of Bah N'Daw, negotiations on the distribution of positions