Bamako – Malian authorities, dominated by the military which seized power in a coup, announced the creation of a body to draw up a new constitution, after extending military rule till 2024.
The announcement was made late Friday in a presidential decree which stipulated that the commission would have two months to complete its job.
The body will comprise a president, two rapporteurs and experts and will consult political parties, civil society groups, armed groups which have signed a peace accord with the government, religious and traditional leaders and trade unions, the decree said.
On Monday, junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita signed a decree that said the military would run the country until March 2024, when elections would be held.
The move snubbed efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc to scale back the transition.
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Mali has been run by a military junta since August 2020, when colonels angered at failures to roll back the jihadists toppled the country’s elected leader, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
They then staged a second de-facto coup in May 2021, but reiterated a vow to hand back control by February 2022. But that was pushed back by two years this week.
ECOWAS has planned a summit on July 3 to review whether to lift tough trade and economic sanctions imposed on Mali in January.
Mali has since 2012 been rocked by a jihadist insurgency by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State group, plunging the country into crisis.
The violence began in the north and later spread to the centre and to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Inter-communal and criminal violence is also common.
Mali’s ruling junta has turned towards Russia and away from its traditional ally France in its efforts to stem the violence.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter / @Rumana_Ali
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