West African leaders have demanded that the junta in Mali sticks to its plans for February polls, threatening further sanctions if Bamako fails to commit to returning to democracy.
“The heads of state… decided to keep the (deadline) of February 27, 2022 for elections in Mali,” president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc Jean-Claude Brou told reporters in Abuja on Sunday, adding sanctions would be imposed in January if Mali did not move to stage polls.
Brou did not specify what new measures ECOWAS might take.
The head of Mali’s government had earlier on Sunday promised he would provide the bloc with an election timetable by the end of January 2022.
The mediator for ECOWAS, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, will travel to Mali in the coming days to discuss the situation.
The bloc suspended Mali following military coups in August 2020 and May 2021.
ECOWAS has frozen the financial assets and banned from travelling within West Africa all those it believes to be guilty of delaying the elections.
Credit: rfi.fr
