Mali announced that the Special Representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Hamidou Bouli, has been made “persona non grata” due to “behaviors incompatible with his duties”, public television reported Monday.
Public television said, in the news tape, “The government of the Republic of Mali has decided to declare the special representative of the Economic Community of West African States in Mali persona non grata; Because of his behavior that is inconsistent with his duties,” he added, adding that the diplomat “has 72 hours to leave” the country.
Mali witnessed a military coup led by Colonel Asimi Gueta in August 2020 against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
The army subsequently appointed an interim civilian government tasked with returning the country to democratic rule.
But Guetta overthrew the provisional government in May 2021 in a second coup, and the colonel was subsequently installed as interim president.
Both the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States and the United Nations are stressing the speedy holding of elections to return to civilian rule.
But the interim government announced that it would fix the date of the elections after holding a “national re-establishment conference” in December.
“Security is, of course, a top priority,” Interim Prime Minister Chogoel Kukala Maiga told reporters on Sunday after meeting a UN Security Council delegation.
Source: AFP
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