Mohamed Bazoum arrived this Thursday, June 23 for a 48-hour state visit to Côte d’Ivoire. A visit which comes as ECOWAS is holding a summit in Accra on July 3 during which the situation in countries which have experienced coups d’etat in recent times will be discussed in particular: Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
With our correspondent in Abidjan, Peter Pinto
What attitude to adopt towards the Malian, Burkinabè and Guinean juntas? At the last summit in Accra on June 4, the ECOWAS countries have decided to give themselves time. But the clock is ticking and the fateful date of the new summit, July 3, is approaching. It is therefore urgent to bring the positions closer together.
” These are countries with which we want to maintain and develop relations of trust, but hope that the democratic process will move forward and that the peoples of these countries will not continue to suffer from the current environment. It is not only about our brothers in neighboring countries, but also about security in our own countries “said Alassane Ouattara.
On Mali, faced with voices calling for the lifting of sanctions, Niger appeared in Accra as one of the supporters of firmness. Is Mohamed Bazoum ready to let go? In any case, Mali must cooperate with its neighbors in the fight against terrorism, pleads the Nigerien head of state.
“ There is a situation in Mali which is far from comfortable. It is to be hoped that we will have the necessary convergences with our brothers in Mali to enable us to coordinate our action and ensure that we pool our means in order to face a common enemy. »
This Thursday, the West African mediator on Mali, Goodluck Jonathan was in Bamako to discuss with the junta.