<SUNBIGHT> ~ West Africa ~ Mali ~ 6th January, 2022.

^{Report by Kamalu Ozuzu}

POLITICIANS in western African country, Mali, have rejected the country’s military government’s five-year transition to democracy.

The coalition of 10 political parties described the plan to hold the next presidential election by 2026 as one that “cannot in any way be the deep desire of the Malian people”.

Since August 2020, Mali’s military has executed two coups and also postponed elections which was slated for next month.

The Western bloc, ECOWAS, is pushing the junta to hold election by February as it sent a mediator in the person of former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to Mali to deliver its message ahead of a proposed summit to be held on Sunday in Ghana.

ECOWAS has already imposed financial and travel sanctions on members of Mali’s military government and threatens further penalties if the February election deadline is not met.■