MALI COUP: MUTINOUS SOLDIERS PROMISE TO HOLD NEW ELECTIONS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME
Soldiers behind the recent coup in the Republic of Mali say they would hold new elections within a reasonable time.
The soldiers who identified themselves as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People made this declaration on national television ORTM following the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
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Five representatives of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People appeared on ORTM in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19 saying:
We, the patriotic forces grouped together within the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), have decided to assume our responsibilities before the people and before History."
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The spokesperson for the movement, Colonel-Major Ismaël Wagué who is also the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force declared:
"We are not holding on to power, but we are holding on to the stability of the country," "This will allow us to organise within an agreed reasonable timeframe, general elections to equip Mali with strong institutions, which are able to better manage our everyday lives and restore confidence between the government and the governed."
Ismaël Wagué also declared the CNSP recognise and would respect all international agreements. They stated that the UN force, the G5 Sahel and the Takuba force remain partners for the restoration of stability.
However, international organisations and regional bodies have spoken against the move to change power in Mali forcefully.
The Economic Community for West African States ECOWAS condemned the actions of the soldiers, telling them to return to the barracks. ECOWAS says it would close land and air borders to Mali. It also threatened to suspend the country from its internal decision-making bodies.
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