Credit: ecowas.int/  The Economic Community of West African States, also known as ECOWAS, is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. 

By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

West African leaders urged Mali’s opposition groups to join the country’s new unity government in an effort to end a political crisis in the country.  The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held an extraordinary summit Monday to propose measures to help resolve the escalating political crisis in Mali. The summit seeks an immediate solution to end the ongoing sociopolitical crisis in Mali, where large-scale protests that began last month calling for the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. ECOWAS is standing firm behind President Keita. The United Nations Security Council this week also expressed strong support for the  ECOWAS plan regarding Mali. However, opposition leaders in Mali vehemently rejected the ECOWAS plan, and are insisting that President Keita resign. The M5 Movement and its partners refuse to alter their call for President Keita to resign in order to stop the demonstrations. The opposition is distrustful of ECOWAS ability to end the crisis allowing them meaningful influence in the government.  Opposition blames Keita for failing to tackle corruption, an economy on the brink of collapse amid COVID-19, and the country’s eight-year-long jihadist conflict. The Mali government’s position is that any resignation would be unconstitional because Keita was democratically elected and would set a dangerous political precedent for other African nations.

ECOWAS threatens sanctions against Mali’s opposition 

ECOWAS has warned of sanctions against those opposing efforts to end the country’s crisis. This would not be advised.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Human Rights Office is calling for an investigation into use of deadly violence by an elite counter-terrorism force in Mali against anti-government protestors leaving 14 persons killed this month.