Mali Crisis: President Buhari, Other ECOWAS Leaders Head for Bamako on Thursday

– The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari would be departing Abuja for Mali on Thursday

– The journey is necessitated by briefing he received from former President Jonathan on the crisis in Mali
– The President will be departing along other ECOWAS Leaders.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Wednesday said that President Muhammadu Buhari would depart Abuja for Bamako, Mali, on Thursday.

He said the journey followed the briefing the President received on Tuesday from former President Goodluck Jonathan on the crisis in Mali.

Adesina disclosed this in a statement titled, “President Buhari embarks on peace mission to Mali” unveiled to journalists.

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He wrote, “President Muhammadu Buhari will Thursday depart for Bamako, Republic of Mali on a one-day visit, following the briefing by the ECOWAS Special Envoy to the country, former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The Nigerian President and some ECOWAS leaders led by the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the sub-regional organisation, President Issoufou Mahamadou of Niger Republic, agreed to meet in Mali to engage in further consultations towards finding a political solution to the crisis in the country.

“Host President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Presidents Machy Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire are expected to participate in the Bamako meeting.

The statement further revealed that former President Jonathan was at the State House in company with President of ECOWAS Commission, Mr Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, on Tuesday to intimate President Buhari on the unfolding situation in Mali, necessitating the visit of ECOWAS leaders to consolidate on the agreements reached by various parties.

Adesina recalled that Buhari, had after granting audience to Jonathan on Tuesday, promised to ask for a briefing from the ECOWAS chairman.

The former President had filled in President Buhari on his activities as Special Envoy to restore amity to Mali, rocked by protests against President Keita, who has spent two out of the five years second term in office.

Adesina’s statement also stressed that the political crisis which is spearheaded by a resistance group, M5, is insisting that the Constitutional Court must be dissolved, and the President resign, before peace can return to the country.