West African envoys met with Mali’s military junta on Saturday to try to push for a speedy return to civilian rule after a coup in the troubled nation.
The delegation was headed by former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan who held talks for half an hour with soldiers who seized power on Tuesday, including new strongman Colonel Assimi Goita
The envoys from the regional ECOWAS bloc also hope to meet ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who is being detained by the junta at a military camp outside Bamako.
Rebel soldiers seized Keita and other leaders after a mutiny on Tuesday, dealing another deep blow to a country already struggling with a brutal Islamist insurgency and widespread public discontent over its government.
Mali’s neighbours have called for Keita to be reinstated, saying the purpose of the delegation’s visit was to help immediate return of constitutional order
Jonathan said after his arrival that ECOWAS wants the best for the country and they appreciate what’s going on in mali
He noted that they will discuss with all stakeholders and at the end settle with what is good for the country, ECOWAS and good for the international community.
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