Junta Leader Sanogo In a Press Conference

"Landep News"

Junta Leader Sanogo In a Press Conference

Junta leader Captain Amadou Sanogo on Sunday said that he would reinstate constitution and hand power over to a civilian government as soon as elections can be held. He made these statement as the Tuareg rebels planted flag on the northern Malian city of Timbuktu, which is part of a stream of northern towns that were taken since the junta military coup executed by Malian army junior officers a week and a half ago.
The taken of Timbuktu, a historic city of Mali and a important economic hub, comes after the taking of the town of Gao, and Kidal, raising concerns whether the Malian army is capable of retaining control over the country.
Amadou Toumani Toure, former president of Mali, considered a supporter of the democratic rule in Mali, though also associated with scandals of corruption in the society, was accused by the junta of offering a very week response to the Tuareg rebellion in the north.
The junta rode on a wave of outrage in Mali caused by the large number of military casualties and the fact that the families were not notified in time about the situation of the troops.
The Tuareg launched rebellions in 1992 and 2006, in their desire to establish a state in the north of Mali, and are the indirect beneficiary of the situation in Libya, given that the regime in Libya was counting on the support of the Tuareg against the rebels in Libya. All these Tuareg fighters that were left without a cause in Libya turned their attention on the Malian conflict.
The troops that took control of Mali were trained by the American Military Command in Africa, called Africom, and were mainly meant to fight against Al-Qaeda. The United States of America announced they would back the three-day deadline of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and said they supported the reinstating of the constitutional order.
ECOWAS convened last week and told the Malian putschists that they had exactly three days to revert to constitutional order after which the country would be submitted to financial sanctions, but that even the military option was on the table, and that the junta would be removed from power by force, if need be.
ECOWAS leader, Alassane Ouattara, the president of the rotating presidency of the body said that the regime in Bamako must understand that the time of coups is gone and that the constitutional order must be restored, so that the two decades of democracy may not be wasted in vain.
Mali is a poor country in West Africa, which has a feeble economy and a strong dependency on the Western aids, and it is expected to yield to the request of the ECOWAS or have the economy crumble in about two weeks.
On Sunday night Sanogo said, pressed by the international community, that he would immediately reinstate the constitution in 1992, ending the military powers of the state of emergency, and said he would create a team with the aim of organizing free and open elections, and said he would not participate in these elections.
A new constitution was announced last Tuesday, with many provisions from the former constitution preserved, and with the institution of a transitional committee composed of 25 troops and 16 civilian people.
Sanogo said he would dispatch a delegation to the north to negotiate a ceasefire with the Tuareg leaders. A Tuareg official said that Timbuktu was the last centre to fall under their control, and announced that the mission was ended militarily. Western analysts are skeptical that the Tuareg may want to stop in Timbuktu, now that the tide is turning in their favor.
Former president Amadou Toumani Toure came to power as a result of a coup in 1991. His whereabouts are not known, but in different interviews he offered by phone he said he was not hurt. He was expected to end his term in April, and elections were to come.
A delegation of ECOWAS was expected to arrive in Bamako and negotiate with the leaders in power, but they cancelled such a meeting because of the protest of thousands of people, who took it to streets protesting in favor of the junta regime.
Still, a delegation of the ECOWAS defense ministries arrived in the capital of the country demanding that the transition be over as soon as possible and the constitutional order restored.

Thank's for link:

Tweet