US Special Envoy for the Sahel Region J. Peter Pham will travel to Mali's Bamako from September 30 to October 3 and meet with the country's transitional government, the US State Department said
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st October, 2020) US Special Envoy for the Sahel Region J. Peter Pham will travel to Mali's Bamako from September 30 to October 3 and meet with the country's transitional government, the US State Department said.
"The Special Envoy will meet with the transitional government as well as civil society, religious leaders, and officials from the United Nations, African Union, G5 Sahel and the diplomatic community. He will urge the transitional government to honor the commitments it has made to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including holding free and fair elections within 18 months," the statement said.
According to the statement, he will discuss efforts to combat corruption, as well as address human rights concerns and electoral reform.
On August 18, a group of Malian soldiers initiated an uprising at a military base near Bamako. They demanded political reforms, the transition of power and a new general election. Rebels kidnapped several high-ranking officials, including then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. Keita subsequently announced the resignation of the government and parliament.
The restive military established its own agency, dubbed the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, and launched broad consultations with the other political and civil forces from September 10-12 in a bid to agree on a governance model for the period before new elections. They adopted a plan to form a transitional government that would rule the country for the next 18 months led by a president, who could be both a military serviceman or a civilian.
In September, ex-Defense Minister Ba N'Daou was sworn in as the transitional president, while Assimi Goita, the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, was sworn in as vice president.
