Ghana’s foreign affairs and regional integration minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway has condemned the coup d’état that erupted in Mali, describing the action as regrettable.
She noted that the coup d’état is unlawful and defies “the tenets of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.”
At an extraordinary summit of ECOWAS heads of state and government on Thursday, 20 August 2020, Ms Botchway stated that “the coup d’état in Mali is contrary to the tenets of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the established practice of constitutional and democratic rule in the region.
“Regrettably, the military action has eroded the gains made by ECOWAS in the region, particularly efforts to consolidate the democratic credentials of Mali,” she added.
The minister intimated the instability in Mali has the potential of escalating in the country and across the Sahel region.
“The events in Mali are taking place at a time when the country is experiencing socio-economic and political difficulties, complicated by security threats posed by jihadists and extremists which have been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The security situation in Mali poses grave danger to regional security if not urgently and effectively managed. The situation has the potential to escalate jihadist activities in the country and the Sahel region in general. It also has the potential to destabilize the region and further undermine development within Mali,” she said.
She, however, reiterated Ghana’s solidarity with the positions expressed by ECOWAS Commission, the African Union and the United Nations Security Council as well as other international organisations in rejecting unconstitutional change of government in Mali, adding that: “The government of Ghana supports the call for the establishment of a transitional government headed by a civilian to oversee the return to normalcy, peace and order as well as constitutional rule in Mali as provided for in the country’s Constitution.”
On Tuesday 18 August 2020, soldiers seized and detained Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta which led to his resignation.
The soldiers have since assumed office.