(4 minutes read)
· Malians took to the streets on last Friday in response to the military junta’s call for protests against stringent sanctions imposed by the West Africa bloc ECOWAS over delayed elections
· Thousands of people wearing the national colors of red, yellow and green gathered in a central square, in the capital Bamako, for a rally staged by the military government
· A large crowd also gathered in the northern city of Timbuktu. According to media reports, protests were there in the towns of Kadiolo and Bougouni in the south.
Malians took to the streets last Friday in response to the military junta’s call for protests against stringent sanctions imposed by the West Africa bloc ECOWAS over delayed elections.
Thousands of people wearing the national colors of red, yellow and green gathered in a central square, in the capital Bamako, for a rally staged by the military government.
A large crowd also gathered in the northern city of Timbuktu. According to media reports, protests were there in the towns of Kadiolo and Bougouni in the south. Social media was showing some of the pictures of the protests from different parts of the country.
The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) had imposed sanctions on Mali last week. Apart from the trade embargo, the borders were shut. The ECOWAS decision was later backed by France, the United States and the European Union.
The move followed a proposal by Mali’s junta to stay in power for up to five years before going for elections. There is pressure on the West African country to respect a promise it has given to hold the election in February. However, the military junta dubbed the sanctions as “extreme” and “inhumane” and called on the people to rise against through country wide demonstrations. The ECOWAS’ leaders also halted financial aid to Mali and froze the country’s assets at the Central Bank of West African States.
Strongman Colonel Assimi Goita, on Friday said that the interim government had evolved a “response plan” to the potentially crippling sanctions. However, he did not give any details of the plan. The statement also highlighted that the government remained open to dialogue with regional institutions and did not intend to engage in “arm-wrestling”. Mali is getting to be isolated as several airlines, including Air France, have suspended flights to Bamako. France, Mali’s former colonial master, and the United States have supported the ECOWAS sanctions.
