President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday called on Mali’s military and politicians to unite against insurgents that have taken over half of the country instead of engaging themselves in the present crisis.
Buhari made this call on Friday when he received his for President Goodluck Jonathan, who serves as Special Envoy and ECOWAS mediator to Mali, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,
Mali is one of the West African countries tormented by insurgency.
The military takeover had raised fears of political instability of the impoverished West Africa country that has witnessed two coup within a year.
Mali’s former coup leader, Col Assimi Goïta, has declared himself the country’s transitional president after stripping interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane of their powers, four days putting them in detention at a military base in the capital, Bamako.
The duo were later released after mounting pressure from African countries and the United Nations.
Goita had said on Tuesday in a statement read by an aide on national television that he seized power because the transitional president and prime minister didn’t consult him about the formation of a new government.
However, Buhari in a statement by his media aide, Femi Adesina, said “called on the actors in the political crisis in Mali to come together for the peace and unity of the country.”
“A situation where most parts of the country are in the hands of insurgents calls for a consensus and restoration of peace, not a further escalation of the crisis,” he said.
The African Union and the United Nations have condemned the coup, while European countries have threatened sanctions.
