President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo chairs the ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the situation in Mali in Accra on May 30, 2021. West African leaders met in Ghana today to discuss a response to Mali鈥檚 second coup in nine months, which has sparked warnings of fresh sanctions and deep concerns over stability in the volatile Sahel region. (Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP)
ACCRA, Ghana 鈥斅燱est African leaders, meeting in a regional summit Sunday, suspended Mali from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bodies after a second coup by the Malian military.
鈥淭he 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,鈥� Ghana鈥檚 Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told reporters.
鈥淥ne 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,鈥� she added.