It was Umaru Sissoco Embaló who was the first to respond by delivering the first salvos against Alassane Ouattara and Alpha Condé. He considered that a coup d’etat is inevitably reprehensible. But, he continued, if we are to condemn a coup, we must condemn all coups, without exception. To this end, the unconstitutional third term projects are also coups d’état and we cannot let them prosper with impunity. So, if we must condemn the Malian junta of the CNSP for having carried out a putsch, we must also condemn Alpha Condé and Alassane Ouattara.
Presidents Buhari and Sall burst out laughing, while Condé and Ouattara turned green with rage, at the daring of the young Bissau-Guinean president.
Alassane Ouattara, ill at ease, wanting to regain control, allowed himself a misplaced paternalism by calling President Embaló “son”. The latter replied dryly: “There is no son here, there is no small country here. There are heads of state, all of whom are equal and I intend to fully assume the sovereignty of my country ”. This nailed the beak to Alassane Ouattara, who could not believe it in front of so much audacity.
The President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, was particularly remarkable in his analysis of the situation in Mali. He said, to disavow Alassane Ouattara and Alpha Condé, that it is illusory, even utopian, to think that it is possible to restore IBK to power. Diplomatically, it is infeasible. Militarily, it is adventurous and politically, it would be an aggression against the sovereignty of the Malian people. He said that he, Roch Kaboré, would never join this dynamic. Rather than rain sanctions on Mali, he proposed that we help the Malian people to be part of a crisis exit plan for the rapid reestablishment of institutions, in the interest of this country and of the sub -region.
All other heads of state have started to align themselves with the realistic position expressed by the president of Burkina Faso, starting with the president of Nigeria. He was joined by the Togolese and Senegalese presidents. Macky Sall even asked that we reduce the sanctions already decided. Young President Sissoco Embaló was biting. He proposed to President Mahamadou Issoufou to continue chairing ECOWAS until the end of the year because at least he has no third term problem in his country.
So the meeting ended up turning to the disadvantage of the two thieves who, the day before, gargled with alleged support from their counterparts and imagined themselves triumphant.
The drop was particularly severe for Alassane Ouattara, who imagining perhaps the leader of ECOWAS, thought he could lead his other colleagues to the baton. The sending of a mission to Mali was decided to meet the new authorities and discuss the fate of IBK and the ministers. All heads of state felt that for strategic reasons, Alassane Ouattara and Alpha Condé should not be associated with this mediation mission.
However, after the meeting President Issoufou received an unexpected phone call from Alassane Ouattara. He insisted, he wants to be part of the delegation that will go to Bamako. He considers that not going there would be weakening. However, he wants the line and posture that he and Alpha Condé have embodied not to be harmed. He intends to go and lecture the slaves and the Malian opposition. He assures us that we have to be firm with the soldiers as he does with the Ivorian soldiers. Although concerned, President Issoufou had no choice but to agree. So that tomorrow the delegation that will go to Bamako, unless there is a last minute change, will be composed as follows: Presidents Mahamadou Issoufou, Alassane Ouattara, Nana Akufo-Addo and Macky Sall.
The cause of the Malian people was espoused by Presidents Embaló and Kaboré, to the great dishonor of the constitutions tamper-makers Alassane Ouattara and Alpha Condé.
Mediapart
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