Mali: an "unacceptable coup" for the EU
French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference on the day of an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2021. REUTERS - POOL
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
"
An unacceptable coup
": European leaders "
condemned in the strongest terms the arrest of the President of Mali and his Prime Minister,
" Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday at the end of a European summit, the France calling for an emergency meeting at the UN Security Council.
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"
We are ready, in the coming hours, if the situation is not clarified, to take targeted sanctions
" against the protagonists, Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference. The strong man of the Malian power, Colonel Assimi Goïta, indicated Tuesday to have relieved of their prerogatives the president and the Prime Minister of transition, guilty according to him of attempted "
sabotage
", in what is akin to a second putsch in nine months.
"
We strongly condemned the arrest of the President of the Transition, his Prime Minister and their collaborators,
" Emmanuel Macron reported.
"
What was carried out by the military putschists is a coup d'etat in the unacceptable coup, which calls for our immediate condemnation
," said the French president.
In a declaration of regaining control despite the dismay caused among the Malians and the broad international disapproval, Colonel Goïta accused President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane of having formed a new government without consulting him, although that he be in charge of defense and security, crucial areas in the Sahelian country in turmoil.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, a few minutes before Emmanuel Macron, indicated to the National Assembly that France was asking for an emergency meeting before the UN Security Council.
It "
condemns in the strongest terms this coup
", "
demands the release of the authorities
" and "the
immediate resumption of the normal course of the transition
", declared Mr. Le Drian.
► To read also:
Mali: the vice-president places the leaders of the transition "outside their prerogatives"
According to him, "
the civilian character of the transition is a sine qua non for the credibility of the transition process and the support that international partners can provide to the Malian authorities
".
"
If by any chance there was not a return to order in the transition, we would take immediate targeting measures against the military and political leaders who hinder the transition
", warned the French minister.
Minusma, the African Union (AU), the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany also “
strongly
condemned
the attempted coup
”.
They rejected in advance any fait accompli, including a possible forced resignation of the arrested leaders.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Monday for “
calm
” in Mali and for the “
unconditional release
” of MM.
N'Daw and Ouane.
(With
AFP
)
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