Mali Crisis: Buhari, ECOWAS leaders’ parley in Bamako ends in stalemate

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ended a day-long summit in Bamako, Mali on Thursday without a definite agreement that would help resolve the escalating political crisis in the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari and presidents of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Niger had met with Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and leaders of a protest movement demanding for his resignation, as a long-running jihadist insurgency threatens to throw the country into chaos.

However, their efforts amounted to nothing as no deal was sealed resulting in the team led by the Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou resolving to hold a summit on Monday.

“Nothing has moved for the movement,” said one of the protest leaders, Imam Mahmoud Dicko, after holding talks with the presidents.

Earlier as the foreign leaders arrived on Thursday morning, a small group of demonstrators gathered outside the airport.

“We’re here to demand IBK’s resignation and ensure our comrades who have been killed are not forgotten,” said Yaya Sylla, a young protester, using the acronym by which Mali’s leader is known.

The June 5 Movement, named after the date when the protests began, has tapped into deep anger over Keita’s perceived failure to tackle the dire economy, corruption and the eight-year jihadist revolt.

Malians are also incensed at the disputed outcome of long-delayed parliamentary elections in March and April that handed victory to Keita’s party.

The summit came on the heels of a five-day mediation mission from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which ended on Sunday without reconciling the two sides.

The West African leaders discussed proposed solutions that had been crafted in behind-the-scenes talks between the president and opposition this week.

The Institute for Security Studies think-tank warned on Thursday that there was an “unfavourable prejudice” towards the presidents, however, with some perceiving the leaders as protecting their own narrow interests. “The search for solutions will have to take into account the need to improve the daily lives of Malians,” the think-tank said.