UN chief calls for release of civilian leaders in Mali
May 25, 2021
New York [US], May 26 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is continuing to monitor the evolving situation in Mali closely following the arrest of civilian leaders by the military junta, his spokesperson informed on Tuesday.
Guterres called for calm and for the immediate release of detained civilian leaders of the Malian transition, said UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a daily press briefing.
"We are working closely with the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) and of course the African Union and all other international actors that are supporting the ongoing political transition in Mali," he said.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali continues to monitor the latest developments and reiterate its strong condemnation of the arrest of President Bah N'Daw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, as well as some other of their colleagues, said Dujarric, adding that "this action" has serious consequences for Mali and the region as a whole.
UN staff in Mali is seeking to gain access to those detained as soon as possible and to ascertain the conditions of their detention and obtain guarantees of their fundamental rights and freedoms, as enshrined in international human rights law, he said.
The military junta in Mali arrested President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Defence minister Souleymane Doucoure of the country's interim government following a cabinet reshuffle on Monday.
Mali's interim government resigned earlier in the month, with the country's interim President Bah Ndaw, having instructed interim PM Moctar Ouane to form a new government, Sputnik reported.
Former defense minister Bah Ndaw was then appointed to be interim president and former foreign minister Moctar Ouane became interim PM to oversee the 18-month transition period in the run-up to the new elections that will return Mali to civilian rule
