West African regional bloc calls for Mali to hold elections in late February

West African leaders on Sunday called for military-ruled Mali to hold elections in February, and threatened to impose sanctions in January if Bamako does not commit to a return to democracy.

“The heads of state … decided to keep the (deadline) of February 27, 2022 for the elections in Mali,” the president of the West African ECOWAS bloc, Jean-Claude Brou, told reporters in Abuja, adding that sanctions would be imposed in January if Mali did not move to organize polls.

Mali’s military-dominated head of government had promised the West African regional bloc on Sunday that he would provide it with an election schedule for January 2022.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Mali following the military coups in August 2020 and May 2021, sanctioning officials held responsible for delaying the elections and threatening further action.

West African leaders held a summit in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Sunday to discuss how to respond to Mali’s failure to prepare to hold elections in February 2022 before a return to civilian rule.

The head of Mali’s transitional government, Colonel Assimi Goita, justified postponing the elections and holding a national consultation that, he said, would be “indispensable” for peace and stability.

Goita emerged as Mali’s strongman leader after a coup that toppled former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020.

Several civil society organizations boycotted the consultation launched on Saturday.

(AFP)