A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been visiting Mali's capital Bamako, to assess progress towards the promised election after a military coup in August 2020.

After meeting interim leaders, the envoy and former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said ECOWAS hoped for a credible plan for elections to be put forward before the year ends. He said the West African bloc hoped "by the end of the year, we will have a whole schedule in place for the organization of elections."

The bloc met with interim president Colonel Assimi Goita. Details of the talks were not shared, but Jonathan told reporters the encounter went very well. 

ECOWAS has already placed economic sanctions on Mali, and threatened to add more sanctions if a concrete plan was not put in place by the end of December.

Mali's interim government made no comment on the election dates. Transitional authorities had previously said the vote could be delayed by a few weeks or months from the February 2022 deadline, due to security concerns. 

Putin, Macron discuss Mali

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed Mali among other topics in a phone call on Tuesday, the Kremlin without providing precise details.

France has objected in recent months to reports of plans from Mali's military government to engage Russian mercenary company the Wagner Group, the recent subject of sanctions from the EU. Russia has responded that the company is not tied to the Russian state and should be able to operate if it does not breach Russian or domestic laws.

French President Emmanuel Macron had announced in July that by 2022, France intended to close all of its military bases in its former colony Mali, leaving the military government with security concerns to address in its long-running fight with domestic militants.

tg/msh (AFP, Reuters)