July 15: Goodluck Jonathan named ECOWAS mediator

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been appointed a special envoy by the regional Economic Community for West African States, ECOWAS; to help mediate in Mali’s political crisis.

GEJ – as he is known back home – is expected to mediate between the embattled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, opposition leaders, civil society actors as well as other major stakeholders as the crisis continues to deepen.

His appointment was announced by Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, chairperson of the ECOWAS commission. The bloc has last month dispatched a mission to meet with President Keita.

Protests by an opposition umbrella group got to a head late last week extending through the weekend as protesters reignited calls for the president to resign. Their demands are centered on mainly insecurity and disputed elections.

Recent protests led to the loss of four lives as police clashed with people in the streets. The state broadcaster was attacked as was the parliament – the latter was looted. The ruling party offices was also attacked.

The president has since reiterated his call for dialogue with the opposition and also took the move of dissolving the Constitutional Court – which action seems to have done little to appease the protesters.

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July 12: Mali ruling party offices ransacked

Protesters ransacked a building belonging to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s political party on Sunday, underscoring the tensions that remain in Mali, even after the president met one of their top demands.

The latest unrest at a neighborhood headquarters for Keita’s RPM party came as mourners returned from funerals to bury several of the victims who have died during political demonstrations in recent days, witnesses said.

Only hours earlier, the president had announced in a televised speech that he had dissolved the constitutional court as demanded by the opposition movement and was willing to consider re-doing contested legislative elections.

The movement’s leaders are no longer calling for the resignation of Keita, who has three years left in his final term. But Sunday’s unrest showed there are still elements deeply dissatisfied with his leadership.

#Mali #Crise #Manifestations

Une vue du RPM, le parti au pouvoir, en commune V du district de Bamako. pic.twitter.com/MH0J2llV0f— JournalduMali (@JourDuMali) July 12, 2020

Social media restrictions still in place

Internet rights group, NetBlocks reported late last week that data from its internet observatory confirmed that social media and messaging apps were partially blocked in Mali on Friday 10 July 2020 amid mass protests.

Demonstrators seeking political reforms, some calling for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s resignation, occupied the national broadcas

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