Economic Community of West African States has appointed former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan as a special envoy to resolve the political crisis in its member state, Mali.
Jonathan is expected to bring together key parties together in the country, this include President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, opposition leaders, civil society and religious organizations for a dialogue on the crisis.
In the recent week, protest has been rocking Mali, with protesters demanding for President Keita to step aside following a raft of issues including disputed elections.
Other factors that cause the protest are weak public services and the government’s inability to bring an end to inter-communal and jihadist violence in the country.
Jonathan’s appointment was disclosed in a letter signed by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou.
It reads in part, “Given your position as the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the great role and contributions your tenure offered to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in our region, I have the honour, in consultation with the Chair of the Authority, H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, President of the Republic of Niger, to communicate to you, the decision to appoint you as ECOWAS Special Envoy for the sociopolitical crisis in Mali.”
Jonathan who speaks ahead of his schedule for Wednesday’s departure to Bamako, promises to do his best to ensure that the mission achieves the desired result.
According to his Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, Mr. Jonathan also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the support of the Nigerian Government, including providing an aircraft and other logistics needed to make the assignment successful.
