ECOWAS cuts trade relations with Mali after mutiny
- ECOWAS said it has cut trade ties with Mali after mutiny against President Ibrahim Keita
- The body described the sack of Keita as an action that will have grave consequences on the country
- ECOWAS called for the release of the president and the country's prime minister, Boubou Cisse
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Following the mutiny on Tuesday, August 18, which ousted President Ibrahim Keita from the seat of power, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said it has shut down ties with Mali.
ECOWAS made this disclosure in a statement released on Wednesday, August 19, in Abuja, saying that it will also cut commercial trade with Mali.
It would be recalled that the political imbroglio that polarised Mali hit the climax on Tuesday evening as prime minister, Boubou Cisse, and President Keita were arrested by some mutinying soldiers.
Source: Twitter
The leader of the soldier group informed journalists on Tuesday that Cisse and Keita are with them in Bamako, Mali's capital.
Later, another military source claimed the president and the prime minister have been taken to a key base in Kati, a town close to Bamako.
ECOWAS said it tried to douse the political tension in the country by raising committee to meet with the warring leaders.
The group also stated that the coup is "likely to have a negative impact on peace and stability in Mali and in the sub-region."
It also demanded the release of President Keita and the immediate reestablishment of constitutional order.
"We suspend Mali from all decision-making bodies of ECOWAS with immediate effect, in accordance with the Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, until the effective restoration of constitutional order.
"We decide on the closure of all land and air borders as well as the arrest of all economic, commercial and financial flows and transactions between countries," part of the statement read.
ECOWAS said its members must follow the directives.
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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Keita has been forced out of the presidency as he finally tendered his resignation on Wednesday, August 19, amid political unrest in Mali, hours after his arrest.
On the early hours of Wednesday, President Keita said he has resigned from his position in order to avoid bloodshed and violence between his loyalists and the opposition.
According to the report in Aljazeera, Keita said that he has decided "to give up my duty from now on."
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