ECOWAS will not lift sanctions against Mali unless interim government shortens transition timeline

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it regrets a decision by Mali’s interim government to delay the return to civilian rule by 24 months while negotiations between the two sides were ongoing. Mali’s military government, which first came to power in an August 2020 coup, issued a decree on [6 June] fixing the 24-month timetable, to be counted from March 2022. [...ECOWAS] said an ECOWAS negotiator would continue to engage Malian authorities to reach a “mutually agreed timeline”. The 15-member regional bloc has been pushing for a shorter extension of 16 months at most.
Read the full article here: Al Jazeera