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A large Malian delegation completed a two-day working visit to Lomé on Wednesday (May 4th) led by Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop. The delegation asked Togo to mediate between Bamako and ECOWAS on the one hand, as well as with the international community.
Mali seeks the support of its neighbors in the face of sanctions. Since the beginning of January, Bamako has been targeted by economic retaliation measures launched in particular by the West African Community in order to shorten the duration of the transition while the military in power are counting on a period of two years. On Tuesday, a strong ministerial delegation (Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Transport) went to Togo to ask for the support of Lomé, whose influence within ECOWAS is not negligible.
Mali wants to rally its neighbors to its cause and strengthen its diplomatic weight, particularly vis-à-vis the Community of West African States.
The delegation delivered a message from Colonel Assimi Goïta. The head of the Malian junta asks Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé to » support the Malian dialogue effort with the international community « , and of » take facilitation initiatives « .
Message received favorably. The head of Togolese diplomacy, Robert Dussey, presented Togo as a « dialogue country “, before ensuring that President Gnassimbé was ready to help Mali.
This rapprochement is not a surprise. Lomé has from the start chosen a flexible position with regard to the Malian putschists, by refusing too heavy sanctions. Faure Gnassingbé had also discreetly gone to Bamako at the end of January to meet the head of the junta. Finally, since February Togo has belonged to a dialogue group responsible for facilitating international negotiations. The country confirms its benevolence, especially in the face of ECOWAS sanctions which are strangling the Malian economy, but which are not without consequences for neighboring states.
The choice of Togo as mediator
The choice of Togo to renew dialogue with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is not surprising: Lomé has weight within the sub-regional institution and has always listened attentive to the words of the leader of the Malian junta, Colonel Assimi Goïta, one of whose fellow students is a Togolese officer close to President Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma.
the Togolese president for his part, he is one of the rare Heads of State in the sub-region to have made a visit – however quick – to Bamako to meet the current president of the Malian transition.
During the last ECOWAS leaders’ summits, held in the Ghanaian capital, observers noted that Togo has never been in favor of » harsh penalties against Mali. Its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Dussey, misses no opportunity to publicly plead the cause of Bamako. He makes many discreet stays in the Malian capital to also discuss the crisis in the North.
This is very probably why the Malian authorities are now asking Togo to also mediate with the international community, in particular France, when relations between Bamako and Paris are bad.
The head of Malian diplomacy Abdoulaye Diop explained that he wanted » find a compromise to get Mali out of this situation and also strengthen the stability of the region “, thanks to Togo.
Thanks to the « experience » of Togo, Abdoulaye Diop wants to « find a compromise to get Mali out of this situation »
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