‘A Political Stable Mali is Paramount,’ Says President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday declared Nigeria support for ECOWAS and other organisations working to return Mali to constitutional order.

This is coming barely two days after mutinying soldiers arrest President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita alongside Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and forced him to resign as President of Mali on Wednesday morning.

This prompted ECOWAS to call off all trade relations with the embattled country and warned of further fallout if the soldiers behind the coup failed to restore order in the country.

On Thursday, President Buhari took to his official Twitter handle @mbuhari to declare his support for ECOWAS, AU, UN and other organisations working to restore order in Mali.

“Nigeria strongly supports the efforts of ECOWAS Chairman, President Mahamadou Issoufou, for wider regional and continental consultations with ECOWAS, the AU and the UN, and the adoption of strong measures to bring speedy resolution to the situation,” President Buhari tweeted.

He explained that “A politically stable Mali is paramount and crucial to the stability of the sub-region. We must all join efforts, ECOWAS, the AU, the UN and other stakeholders, and work together until sanity returns to Mali with the restoration of Civil Administration.”

“The events in Mali are great setbacks for regional diplomacy, with grave consequences for the peace and security of West Africa. It is time for the unconstitutional ‘authority’ in Mali to act responsibly and ensure restoration of constitutional order, peace and stability.“