West African leaders have said Mali must hold a presidential election in February 2022. They also called for the immediate appointment of a new civilian prime minister.
Malian soldiers staged a coup last August after several months of anti-government protestsImage: Mohamed Salaha/AP Photo/picture-alliance
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Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), meeting in a regional summit Sunday, suspended Mali from the bloc's institutions after a second coup by the Malian military.
"The suspension from ECOWAS takes immediate effect until the deadline of the end of February 2022 when they are supposed to hand over to a democratically elected government," Ghana's Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told reporters.
"One of the decisions of the heads of state is that they should ensure that in the next few days a civilian prime minister is put in place to form the next government," she added.
Akufo-Addo kicked off the Sunday summit with the leaders from the region by stressing the community's "commitment to a peaceful transition" while also warning of the "grave consequences" the political turmoil could have.
Mali conflict: The Dogon find refuge on ancestral land
As the conflict in central Mali escalated, the Dogon people fled the Mopti region that had been their home for around 700 years. The southward migration took them to their ancestral land of "Mande."
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
A new life in the old land
Like thousands of other Dogon, Isaie Dignau left the region of Bandiagara in central Mali over the insecurity caused by the ongoing conflict. He found refuge with his family in Nana Kenieba, a village some 150 kilometers (93 miles) south east of the capital Bamako. According to Isaie, Dogon griots had predicted this migration to lands once called "Mande" hundreds of years ago.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
The homecoming prophecy fulfilled
According to legend, the Dogon are originally from "Mande", the region of the Malinke people. Some time between the 11th and 13th centuries, they were forced to leave amid the Islamization of West Africa. After a long migration they settled around the famous Bandiagara clff in what is today the Mopti region. Now, due to the jihadi threat, they are returning home.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
Mali, an endless conflict
The Dan Na Ambassagou hunters are the main Dogon militia in Mopti. The conflict in Mali began in 2012 and in 2016 it spread in the central part of the country. As tensions among ethnic groups rose, self-defence militias were formed. The intercommunal fighting is caused by lack of fertile lands and water in an area affected by jihadism.
Image: Ugo Lucio Borga
The consequences of conflict
Mali is facing a serious humanitarian crisis in regions already underdeveloped. Food insecurity affects up to 1.3 million people. Some 347,000 people were forced to flee their lands. Many have sought refuge in neighboring countries but most are internally displaced and sheltering in the south of Mali and refugee camps close to urban areas.
Image: Ugo Lucio Borga
The Dogon in Mali's conflict
Many Dogon are directly involved in the conflict. Seidu Doungo fought with the Dan Na Ambassagou in the Koro region. In 2020, he decided to lay down his weapons. His family was threatened by raiding jihadis and he no longer hand a source of income from their land. When Seidu heard about Nana Kenieba, he decided to leave Koro to find peace in "Mande"..
Image: Ugo Lucio Borga
The hospitality of others
The majority ethnic group in Nana Kenieba is Malinke. Segou Keita is the village chief. He has welcomed Dogon who return in accordance with the ancient prophecy. The community supports them financially and includes them in decision-making.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
Fair distribution of land
Inside the central hut of Nana Kenieba, Isaie Dignau shows some villagers a map where the plots of land are located. Since 2016, around 400 Dogon families, mainly from Mopti, have settled here. Each household received two hectares of land and food.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
A secular ethnic community
Dogon is a secular ethnic community, where people are free to profess Islam, Christianty and ancestral belief. The village has two mosques and two churches, with corresponding Koranic schools and catechism classes, a sign of a new-found climate of openness.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
The fear still lives
The peaceful environment of Mande seems far removed from the conflict in Mali. The community lives in fear that the jihadis could arrive and start a conflict. In Nana Kenieba, villagers have organized patrols that keep bandits out for now.
Image: Ugo Lucio Borga
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What is the role of ECOWAS in Mali's transition?
Goita drew widespread criticism for his coup-within-a-coup that threatened to bring Mali's planned democratic transition to an end.
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The colonel had assumed the chair of interim vice president after leading a coup in August last year that removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
As interim vice president, he then forced interim President Bah Ndaw and interim Prime Minister Moctar Ouane to resign. Akufo-Addo said that this unconstitutional change of government was a violation of the transition agreement that had been brokered by ECOWAS.
The agreement stated that the interim vice president cannot succeed the interim president.
The junta's takeover has brought the promise to hold democratic elections in early 2022 into question.
How have foreign leaders responded?
ECOWAS had used sanctions to force the junta to initially agree to the civilian interim government.
"I reiterate, on behalf of ECOWAS, our continued commitment to the peaceful transition in Mali with the basic goal of restoring democratic government and stability in Mali and in our region," the Ghanaian president said on Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the coup in an interview published on Sunday, saying that he "could not stay by the side of a country where there is no longer democratic legitimacy or a transition".
He also warned that he would withdraw the 5,100 French troops from the country if it takes a turn towards Islamism.
