Akufo-Addo calls for twelve-month transition in Mali

President Nana Akufo-Addo, says the French-led troop withdrawal from Mali, required “new arrangements” in the regional fight against terrorism.

Speaking to France 24 at the EU/AU summit in Brussels, President Akufo-Addo, who is the current Chairman of ECOWAS, demanded the departure of foreign mercenaries from the region and explained, that negotiations were underwater with the Malian junta on an election timetable.

He called on the junta’s proposal of a four-year transitional period “clearly unacceptable” and said, a twelve-month transition period would be “an acceptable framework.”

President Akufo-Addo stressed that this was not an official ECOWAS position.

He expressed optimism concerning Burkina Faso which experienced a coup last month, about a swift transition to civilian rule, noting that the junta had moved very quickly to engage in consultations.

The ECOWAS Chairman cautioned the coup leaders in Guinea, which saw a military takeover last September, that new ECOWAS sanctions could be forthcoming, if they did not provide a timetable for a transition to civilian rule as soon as possible.

He stressed that military coups in West Africa were unacceptable saying, “we do not want this contagion to spread.”

President Akufo-Addo added that the issue of third presidential terms was also a matter of concern to the region.