The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe has accepted to serve as a go-between in Mali’s political crisis as the West African country’s military junta faces pressure to restore civilian rule.
This was confirmed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of Togo, Robert Dussey on Wednesday, May 4 via his twitter handle. He wrote:
“I confirm it to you. The President @FEGnassingbe and Togolese government are ready to facilitate a fruitful dialogue between Mali and International Community.”
Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop also confirmed Faure Gnassingbe’s readiness to mediate.
“We asked President Faure Gnassingbe to use his good office, wisdom and experience to facilitate dialogue with regional actors and more broadly dialogue with the entire international community,”
Since August 2020 when the military seized power after ousting the then President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, the country has been in constant political conflict.
A few months ago, Mali’s military leaders released a fresh timetable for the transition period to regional bloc ECOWAS, proposing a five-year plan that required for the next presidential elections to be held in 2026.
Mali’s military president, Assimi Goita, who took over in the coup that overthrew Keïta, had intended the transition to last for eighteen months, with elections originally intended to take place in February 2022, but in a twist of events, unveiled the new timetable.
However, a coalition of major political parties in Mali in a letter, outrightly rejected the five-year plan, telling the military leaders to respect the transition process.
“Those who want to be in power should be candidates and submit to the will of the people. We are a democracy, we are in a country where we have rights, we are a republic. Let’s respect the law,” spokesperson for the coalition, Amadou Koita said.
There have been ongoing discussions within the administration over the length of time needed to re-establish constitutional order in the country.