Ghana has joined global condemnation of the mutiny, which led to the arrest and resignation of H.E Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the dissolution of his government and the national Assembly in Mali.
Former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse were arrested and detained by soldiers in Bamako on Tuesday August 18, 2020, following a coup d’etat.
In a speech delivered by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey (MP) on behalf of His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government over the crisis, the Government of Ghana demanded the immediate release of President Keita and senior officials of his Government.
The meeting which was held in a video conference on Thursday, August 20, 2020, on the crisis in Mali also saw the Ghanaian Foreign Minister express the country’s support to the proposal for the immediate dispatch of an ECOWAS delegation to Mali to ensure the return to normalcy, peace and order as well as constitutional rule.
“The events in Mali are taking place at a time when the country is experiencing socio-economic and political difficulties, complicated by security threats posed by jihadists and extremists which have been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic”, she noted.
Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey added that the security situation in Mali poses grave danger to regional security if not urgently and effectively managed.
She expressed concern that the situation has the potential to escalate jihadist activities in the country and the Sahel region in general, thereby destabilizing the region and further undermining development within Mali.
She reiterated Ghana’s solidarity with the resolve and strong sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS Commission, the African Union and the positions expressed by the United Nations Security Council as well as other International Organisations in rejecting unconstitutional change of Government in Mali.
