The National Committee for the Salvation of the People (NCSP), created in Mali by military putschists, has proposed a plan for a three-year transition period led by the military, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Sunday, citing sources in the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) and the NCSP.
According to a source in the ECOWAS delegation that visited Bamako, where it met with representatives of the NCSP, the junta confirmed that it wanted to "implement a three-year transition period to review the foundations of the Malian state." The leadership during this period should be carried out by "a body chaired by the military, who at the same time will be the head of state," the source said. In addition, according to the putschists' proposal, the future government of Mali should consist mainly of the military.
The same source told the AFP that the putschists had agreed to release the ousted Malian President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, whom they have been holding since the coup last Tuesday. "He will be able to return to his home in Bamako. And if he wants to go for treatment, there are no problems," said an ECOWAS source. Speaking of former Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, who was arrested on the same day with Keita, the putschists said they were ready to place him "in a safe place of residence in Bamako."
The head of the ECOWAS delegation in Bamako, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, met on Sunday with the ambassadors of the permanent members of the UN Security Council accredited to Mali. Jonathan informed them of meetings with both the military that had seized power in Mali and Keita they held, former Prime Minister Cisse, and other high-ranking officials held at the Kati base.
On the morning of August 18, a mutiny occurred at a military base near the Malian capital of Bamako. The military seized the General staff, arrested the country's top leadership, including the President of the Republic, and formed the National Committee for the Salvation of the People. Under pressure, Keita announced his resignation, as well as the dissolution of the government and Parliament.
On August 19, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Mali, following which it appealed to the military rebels in the country to immediately release the arrested officials and return to the location of military units. One of the rebel leaders, Colonel Ismael Vahe, announced on August 20 that a transitional council headed by an interim President would be established in the country.
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Photo: Baba Ahmed / AP / TASS
Based on materials from TASS