Mali Coup: Goodluck Jonathan Gives Update After Emergency Meeting With Buhari, ECOWAS Leaders

Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Jonathan, a former Nigeria President and ECOWAS Envoy to Mali, has provided the latest update on the Malian coup following an emergency meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and other Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS on Friday morning.

It had earlier been reported that Buhari and Jonathan again joined other ECOWAS leaders in an emergency virtual extraordinary summit over the ongoing political crisis in Mali.

The summit, chaired by the current ECOWAS Chairman and President of Niger Republic, Mahmadou Issoufu, considered the report of Jonathan, who recently returned from Mali, where he interacted with the leadership of the military junta.

The ECOWAS leaders had earlier met via video conference on August 20, to deliberate on the same matter where they called for the immediate release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali, and a return to constitutional order in the West African country.

The ousted Malian president, Keita, was released from detention by the military junta on August 27 in line with the request of the ECOWAS leaders.
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Reacting to the development, Jonathan, in a tweet on his official Twitter handle on Friday afternoon said the ECOWAS leaders are optimistic of restoring constitutional order in Mali following the emergency meeting.

He tweeted: “I briefed an extraordinary session of the Authority of #ECOWAS Heads of State and Government this afternoon on the outcome of our recent engagements with the military rulers who are now in charge of affairs in the Republic of #Mali.

“I am pleased that our mediation, buoyed by the determination of #ECOWAS leaders to act decisively to achieve the restoration of constitutional order in #Mali Mali is already bearing fruits, following the release of ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.”