Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhmmadu Buhari is currently in a virtual an extraordinary peace mediation meeting with other West African regional leaders over the political crisis in Mali.
The meeting is sequel to the one held last Thursday in the Malian capital, Bamako, where all sides in the crisis were brought to the table for discussion.
Last week’s meeting ended with a plan to resume discussion today (Monday).
The President of Niger Republic, who is also Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Mahamadou Issoufou, had on Thursday said the sub-regional organisation would do all it could to address the crisis in Mali.
President Buhari, Host President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Presidents Machy Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, all attended last week’s meeting in Bamako.
The representatives of opposition alliance, M5 and Civil Society Organisations also briefed the leaders on their positions over the crisis.
ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali and former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who earlier paid a peace mission to Mali last two weeks, said: “ECOWAS felt that the violent protest should not continue, so I should lead a special team to go again and engage them (protesters)”.
Jonathan, who described the outcome of their mission to Mali as partially successful, expressed the hope that normalcy would soon be restored to the troubled country.