Mali Appoints Interim President

Farida Adamu, September 24, 2020

A former Mali Defence Minister and retired Colonel, Bah Ndaw, has been named interim president of Mali. While the leader of the military junta that seized power, Colonel Assimi Goita, has been appointed as the Vice President. Ndaw and Goita were appointed by a group of 17 electors chosen by the junta to oversee an 18-month transition that will lead to fresh elections.

Ndaw and Goita will be sworn in officially on Friday 25 September, 2020, 

Regional leaders had demanded that the interim president and prime minister be civilians, and a soldier could be accepted as Vice President as long as he will not be able to replace the president under any circumstances. The transitional charter which was approved by Goita and his soldiers earlier this month however puts the vice-president next in line to the presidency. It is still unclear whether the ECOWAS approves of this appointment as none of their spokespersons have given any comments.

But leaders of the M5-RFP coalition that organised mass protests against Keita before the coup have since signaled support for Ndaw. “He is a man of principle, a loyalist, a man of faith and a nationalist who loves his country. He is not manipulable,” Nouhoum Togo, an M5-RFP spokesman, who worked for Ndaw at the defence ministry told newsmen. 

What’s Next for Mali?

While several meetings have held between the leaders of ECOWAS and the junta, as well as demands being made, there are no clear plans about what is next for Mali asides the hope of an 18month transition period. It is also unclear whether ECOWAS sanctions are still underway. Infighting between the Junta  members of the M5-RFP (who claim to have been sidelined in decision-making), persists. 

Protests in Mali took an unexpected turn when the Military took over power in August. This was received with a lot of celebration by Malian citizens. Will the smiles on their faces remain long enough? 

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