Africa Mali West Africa World 

Burkina Faso and Mali juntas back Niger coup leaders, issue war warning

Niger coup leaders are getting backing from colleague military juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali following a threat of force from the regional bloc ECOWAS if they don’t re-instate President Mohamed Bazoum. Burkina Faso and Mali who share border with Niger say any attempt to use force to have Bazoum restored will be seen as a declaration of war on… Read More
Africa Mali West Africa World 

French is no longer Mali’s official language

Mali has announced it has scrapped French as its official language, doing so more than six decades after it gained independence from France. A drafted constitution was voted for at a referendum last month. The constitutional court validated the 96.91% approval from voters as the final results. In the approved document was the proposal to remove French as official language.… Read More
Africa Mali World 

United Nations ends peacekeeping mission in Mali

After a-decade-long presence in Mali, the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission has been brought to an end. The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously voted to end the mission’s work in Mali after the government asked for it’s withdrawal. The mandate of the peacekeeping mission was to end on June 30 with the UN chief, Antonio Guterres asking for a year’s… Read More
Africa Mali West Africa World 

Mali’s new draft constitution gets 97% approval at referendum

Mali’s new draft constitution has secured a 97 percent approval at last week’s held referendum, provisional official results showed. The new constitution was submitted for it to be voted on by the current junta in power since 2020. The electoral authority said in Bamako on Friday that the turnout at the referendum was 39.40%. The new draft constitution for many… Read More
Africa Mali West Africa World 

Malians vote in referendum to pave way for elections

Malians are voting in a referendum on Sunday to change the constitution and make way for a return to democratic rule. The country has been under the control of a ruling military junta since 2020 when a coup toppled President Keita. The junta seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021 and promised to hold the referendum as part of… Read More
Africa Mali West Africa World 

Mali delays anticipated referendum towards democracy

Mali‘s interim government has postponed the country’s much anticipated constitutional referendum. This is a key step in the country’s path towards elections meant to restore democracy after a military takeover in 2020. “The transitional government informs national and international opinion that the date of the referendum scheduled for March 19, 2023 … will be slightly postponed,” it said in a… Read More
Africa Mali West Africa World 

ECOWAS: Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso denied readmission

The West African regional bloc, ECOWAS has rejected a request from Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso to be re-admitted. These three countries have been suspended from ECOWAS following military takeover, which a democratic transition yet to take place. Foreign ministers from the three West African countries made the call for their reinstatement last week. A similar request was made to… Read More
Africa Mali West Africa World 

Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso seek re-entry into AU

Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso are seeking re-entry into the African Union. The foreign affairs ministers of these countries are in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to lobby to be let back into the AU as this week’s summit opens. All three countries were suspended from the African Union and the regional grouping Ecowas following military coups. Mali’s foreign ministry said… Read More
Africa Mali Russia West Africa World 

Mali’s military government expels UN human rights chief

Mali has expelled the head of the UN peace-keeping mission’s human rights division from the country. The country’s military government has given him 48 hours to leave the country. In a statement read out on national television, a government spokesman said Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali had committed “subversive actions” This relates to his selection of witnesses to testify at UN Security… Read More
Africa Ghana Mali West Africa World 

Germany to stick to timetable to withdraw troops from Mali

Germany has said it will stick to its timetable to withdraw its troops from Mali starting this year and ending in 2024. The West African nation has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for more than 10 years now. Over 1,000 German troops have been deployed in Mali near the northern town of Gao, supporting the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA there.… Read More