Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has stated that the country will on Sunday, May 30, host an Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit in Accra.
Addressing the press, Saturday, Mrs. Ayorkor Botchwey noted that the purpose of the meeting is to enable several heads of state, led by Chairman President Akufo-Addo to address the current political tensions in Mali.
“In line with the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance, the President of the Republic, Nana-Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo in his capacity as chair of the ECOWAS authority of heads of state and government, following due consultations with his peers decided to convene this extraordinary summit.
“The purpose of the Summit is to enable the authority to deliberate and take consequential decisions on the evolving political and security situation in the Republic of Mali”.
This follows the recent events in Mail where the President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the Interim Mali government on Monday, May 24, were detained by military officers just months after a military coup ousted the previous administration.
President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister, Moctar Ouane and Defence Minister Souleymane Doucoure were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako.
According to Mali’s interim Vice President, Colonel Assimi Goita, the arrest is due to the state official’s failure to consult him about the formation of a new government. But on Thursday, May 27, the arrested officials were released.
According to the Foreign Affairs Minister, this extraordinary summit demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the President of the Republic, the Chair (Akufo-Addo) towards addressing the political situation in Mali.
“It is hoped that all the political actors in Mali will support the outcome of the Extraordinary Summit which will be held tomorrow in order to restore constitutional order in our sister country as soon as practicable,” she added.
She also stated that “the outcome of the Summit will be critical to sustaining the momentum, staying on track for the return of democracy and stability in Mali,” she stated.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey further disclosed that former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who led an ECOWAS mediation team to Mali from May 25 to 26 to assess the situation will be present in the country and will “report to the Summit tomorrow on the outcome of his mission.”
Meanwhile, some ten heads of state and state officials are also expected at the Summit tomorrow. They include the Foreign Affairs Minister for Senegal, a state official from the Republic of Benin as well as other representatives from Senegal, Benin, Guinea and Cape Verde.
