Mali: first diplomatic tour of the transitional president against a backdrop of controversy
Malian transitional president Bah N'Daw on May 28, 2014. (File image) HABIBOU KOUYATE / AFP
Text by: David Baché
4 min
The Malian transitional president, Bah N'Daw, flew this Thursday morning to Accra, capital of Ghana.
This is the first stop on a six-day regional tour.
The Malian head of state will then visit Togo, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.
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Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, which has been closely monitoring the Malian transition process since the coup of August 18.
It is therefore obviously no coincidence that Accra was chosen for the very first official exit of the transitional president, Bah N'Daw, outside the Malian borders.
In Koulouba, it is also specified that this visit "
follows the one carried out
" last month by Nana Akufo-Addo in Bamako, "
in the wake of the lifting of the sanctions
" that the ECOWAS imposed on Mali since the coup. of state.
Advances in the transition process therefore seem to be an essential subject.
Bilateral cooperation between Mali and Ghana is also on the program.
As for the continuation of Bah N'Daw's tour, the Malian presidency simply indicates that it is a question of responding to invitations and "
strengthening the bonds of friendship
" with Togo, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. .
A controversial transition
But in Accra the discussions will perhaps be a little more animated than expected since
the Malian transition is just starting to be debated in Bamako
.
Indeed, the context is not necessarily the most favorable for the transitional president, with more and more voices rising to denounce a supposed "
grab
" of the organs of the transition by the military.
There had already been a debate on President Bah N'Daw himself, a civilian but retired military man, on the powers of the vice-president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, head of the junta which took power last August. .
And today, it is the composition of the National Transitional Council that is at the heart of the controversy.
This future legislative body has still not been installed, and above all the military will have many more representatives than the others.
Second point: it is the vice-president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, who will select the candidates.
President Bah N'Daw will only sign the decree of appointment.
As a result, many parties and organizations have already announced that they refuse to sit on it.
The dissatisfied M5
Starting with the M5-RFP, the coalition that led the popular protest before the military coup.
Choguel Maïga, spokesperson for the M5 Steering Committee, does not mince his words.
"
We cannot accept that the struggle of the Malian people is reduced
to the installation of a military regime
where even the legislative body of the transition will be dominated by the military, will be chaired by the military, the members designated by the military.
This is completely unacceptable for the M5 which fought for Mali to change.
It is not collaboration.
To collaborate, you have to collaborate with the forces that fought for change,
”said the spokesperson for M5.
Choguel Maïga who adds about the transitional president's trip to Ghana: “
We are not calling on foreigners to interfere in our affairs at all.
We want the Malians to take charge and between us to solve our problems
.
"
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