Mali’s transitional government on Sunday said it has yet to achieve an agreement with West Africa’s regional envoy, ECOWAS, on when elections to restore democracy after a military coup will be held.
Sanctions were imposed on the West African country in January when the military junta that took power in a coup in 2020 proposed extending its reign until 2025.
On Friday and Saturday in Bamako, interim authorities met with an envoy from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and proposed a shorter 24-month transition period, which was rejected, according to the government.
“The government of Mali regrets the lack of compromise at this stage,” it said.
There was no immediate response from ECOWAS, whose leaders have stated that if an acceptable election schedule is proposed, they will progressively remove the sanctions, which include border closures and bank transaction restrictions.
