Malian Prime Minister calls on African Union to support Mali
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Malian Prime Minister, Choguel Kokalla Maiga, Monday in Bamako invited the African Union (AU) to support the efforts of the Malian government.
Maiga made the call during a meeting he granted to the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa akir Mohamad, who has been in the Malian capital since Sunday as part of the periodic consultations between the continental organization and Mali.
Mali was suspended by the AU after the coup d'état of August 18, 2020, in that country.
Speaking on the occasion, the Malian Prime Minister said that the sustainable resolution of the crisis that had affected his country for several years required a change of paradigm, explaining that the transition in Mali cannot be summed up in a question of election and alternation at the top of the state.
Maiga also reiterated the Malian government's commitment to implement the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, which came out of the Algiers process, by capitalizing on the progress made during the last meetings of the Agreement's monitoring committee.
He also called on the AU to support "the ongoing efforts to consolidate them, to amplify them through frank support at the technical, political and financial levels".
The Malian Prime Minister finally called on the continental organization to lift the sanctions it imposed on Mali, following the endorsement of those of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on 9 January 2022.
"We are seeking Mali's reintegration into the AU because we are on the right track in the execution of our commitments," he said.
This invitation is also made by the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, who received on the same Monday, the chairman of the AU commission at the head of a large delegation.
Moussa Fakir Mahamat, whose mission in Mali is part of the AU's dynamic of consultation, listening, support and information to the transition process in Mali, had a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Diop on the progress made by the transition, the security situation and the peace process in Mali.
The AU Commission Chairperson congratulated the transition for the progress made in the framework of the return to constitutional order, adding that "the pace must be accelerated".
Speaking on the humanitarian issue, Mr. Fakir announced the imminent arrival in Mali of the commissioner in charge of humanitarian issues to carry out a needs assessment.
The AU commission chairperson took the opportunity to welcome the presidential pardon recently granted to the 49 Ivorian soldiers who had been detained in Mali since July 2022.
He invited the Malian authorities to continue the dialogue with the signatory groups of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation, which stems from the Algiers process.
Signed in May-June 2015 in Bamako between the Malian government, the armed groups of the north and the international community, the Agreement aims to achieve a definitive peace in Mali after years of Tuareg rebellion exacerbated by deadly terrorist attacks.
This agreement is still struggling to be realized because of misunderstandings between the two parties on certain points.
-0– PANA GT/IS/BBA/RA 31Jan2023
