"The region must be ready to give Mali the support it needs"- Buhari says as he expresses his concern over Mali's situation

 The President talked at the 6th Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State on the political situation in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea on Saturday in Accra, Ghana, according to a statement from his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina. Buhari pointed out that Jonathan had proposed a transition period of 16 months, “as well as his further personal appeals and observations for us to give the military leadership in Mali up to 18 months from March 2022 to hold elections. "Furthermore, Nigeria urges the Authority to consider the previously made proposal that the Chairman visit Bamako in person and present this proposal." According to Buhari, Nigeria also welcomes the generous offer of President Macky Sall, Chair of the African Union Assembly, to accompany President Nana Addo to Bamako for this purpose.

"Based on our findings, we are confident that the proposed high-level visit would be welcomed by the military leadership and would achieve the necessary consensus. "At the same time, the region must be ready to give Mali the support it needs to return to democratic rule as soon as possible," he said. Regarding the situation in Guinea and Burkina Faso, the Nigerian President expressed his concern that the proposed timeframes so far do not meet the expectations of the regional leaders as well as their respective citizens. He announced that Nigeria would continue to support any measures, including the imposition of further sanctions, that the agency might take to force the military leaders in the two countries to come up with acceptable election plans.

"Nevertheless, ECOWAS must continue to engage the military leaders and key stakeholders in Burkina Faso and Guinea to reach an amicable settlement, particularly regarding the transition periods," he said. However, he emphasized that any decision by the ECOWAS leadership on the political situation in the three countries must take into account the victims of unconstitutional changes of government and the negative consequences of isolation for them. He pointed out that although the military leadership in Burkina Faso released President Kabore as requested by the ECOWAS leadership, there is a need to take further measures to ensure his safety and full freedom. President Buhari warned that the security situation in both Mali and Burkina Faso had reached terrible levels as incessant attacks by extremist groups on civilians and military installations worsened the humanitarian situation in both countries. Akufo-Addo, who confirmed the presence of African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the summit hoped to find lasting solutions to the region's political instability and resurgence of coups since August 2020.

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