Mali’s interim President Bah Ndaw has named former Malian Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane as prime minister. The appointment on Sunday opens the way for the country’s neighbours to lift sanctions imposed after its August military coup. A civilian premier was the precondition for the Economic Community of West African States to lift sanctions it imposed two days after the August 18 coup removing President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, which the military government claimed inflicted no casualties. A veteran diplomat, Ouane, 64, served as Mali’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1995-2002, and as foreign minister from 2004-2009 during Amadou Toumani Toure’s presidency. Ndaw himself is a former colonel and defence minister, and was sworn in before Mali’s Supreme Court on Friday with military government Chief Assimi Goita as his deputy. The military government promised to return the country to civilian rule after a transition period lasting up to 18 months. Ouane has served as peace and security representative for the West African Monetary Union since 2016. He is originally from Bidi in central Mali, the region most affected by armed groups’ attacks and inter-ethnic violence that have racked the country for years.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
More Stories
At the Coalface of the Green Revolution, but Earning Crumbs
Harris Stresses that U.S. Interests in African Nations Extends beyond Competing with China
Lesotho’s Lawmakers Debated a Motion to Claim Huge Swathes of Territory from South Africa
New HRW Head Weighs in on the UK’s Plan to Deport Asylum Seekers to Kigali
South Africans Spent at least 9.5 Hours a Day Online in 2022
Togo Could Move the Needle on Tropical Diseases
Making It Easier for Everyday Africans to Take Advantage of Previously Restricted Asset Classes
Pirates Disrupt the Gulf of Guinea’s Usually Peaceful Waters
Chad’s Parliament has Approved a Bill to Nationalise Oil Assets
Unilever Nigeria Announces Exit of Home Care and Skin Cleansing Markets by End of the Year
Joshua Baraka is Ugandan Music’s Next Big Thing
Design for Human Rights