ECOWAS Joint Chiefs of Defence Staff Hold Emergency Meeting On Mali Crisis

5 April 2012
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Abidjan - Cote d'Ivoire — An emergency meeting of ECOWAS Joint Chiefs of Defence Staff opened Thursday 5th April 2012, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, to discuss the political situation in Mali, including the possible deployment of a regional military force in the country.

The meeting followed the directive of the extraordinary summit of ECOWAS leaders held on 27th March 2012 in Abidjan. The defence chiefs are to discuss the possible deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force in Mali following the overthrow of the government of democratically-elected President Amadou Toumani Toure in the coup of 22nd March 2012 led by a military junta and the Toureg rebellion in the north of the country. The coup has been widely condemned by the international community, including ECOWAS which has imposed diplomatic and economic sanctions on the junta, to force immediate restoration of constitutional order in the country.

ECOWAS and the African Union have also suspended Mali and are leading international efforts to isolate the junta and force it to hand power back to constitutionally elected authorities, in line with the regional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, and zero-tolerance for forceful take over of government.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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