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ACCRA, Ghana — West African heads of state put off further punishing the leaders of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso at a regional summit Saturday, as coup leaders in all three countries continue to insist that it will take years before new elections can be held.
The 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS will convene again on July 3 before determining if further sanctions will be implemented in the three suspended members states, ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said.
ECOWAS already imposed strong economic sanctions against Mali back in January — shutting down most commerce, along with land and air borders with other countries in the bloc. Those measures have crippled Mali’s economy, prompting concern about the humanitarian consequences on Malians.
The sanctions have not yet brought about a political breakthrough either: In the months since, Col. Assimi Goita has only further isolated the country internationally, pulling out of a regional security force and also shutting down two leading French media broadcasters.
Goita’s government also still insists that no vote can be held until 2024, which would extend their time to power to nearly four years despite originally agreeing to an 18-month transition back to democracy.
The juntas in Guinea and Burkina Faso also have proposed three-year transitions, which have been rejected by ECOWAS as too long a wait for new elections.
The wave of military coups began in August 2020, when Goita and other soldiers overthrew Mali’s democratically elected president. Nine months later, he carried out a second coup when he dismissed the country’s civilian transitional leader and became president himself.
Mutinous soldiers deposed Guinea’s president in September 2021, and Burkina Faso’s leader was ousted in yet another coup in the region back in January.
The political upheaval came at a time when many observers were starting to think that military power grabs were a thing of the past in West Africa: Mali had gone eight years without one, while Guinea had made it 13 years.
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Associated Press writers Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali; and Boubacar Diallo in Conakry, Guinea contributed.
The CFA franc zone, which encompasses 14 countries in francophone West and Central Africa bonded by French colonial heritage and common currency, is falling behind most developing countries in terms of per capita growth, private sector competitiveness, governance, human development, and poverty reduction. Such challenges have been exacerbated by recent increased external shocks such as…
FILE PHOTO: A man silhouettes in front of the logo of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. (Photo/Markus Schreiber,file)
FILE PHOTO: A man silhouettes in front of the logo of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. (Photo/Markus Schreiber,file)
African presidents are expected join the world’s political and business elite in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting that starts today and is expected to run until May 26.The 2022 meeting is the first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Happening under the theme of History at a Turning Point: Government Policies and Business Strategies, the meeting will have 200 sessions attended by more than 2,500 leaders and experts.Some of the African leaders that have confirmed attendance include Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Namibia President Hage Geingob and Rwanda President Paul Kagame.The Forum is expected to place focus on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.The 2022 forum will also have panels on a host of other issues, including climate change, rising energy prices, global supply chain problems, gender inequality and poverty.
Nairobi — The global pandemic has pushed more than 55 million Africans into extreme poverty and reversed two decades of hard work in poverty reduction on the continent. The Economic Report on Africa for 2021 blamed the growing poverty on job losses, reduced income and the inability of households to manage the risks In a 150-page…
It was a family tragedy that first led her to consider nursing as a career.A relative in her native African country died while in an under-staffed hospital, Addae said, with only one nurse for every 50 patients.“I vowed to become a nurse to care for the sick,” said Addae, a devout Christian. “I am a woman of faith.”Earning a degree while raising four young children requires much, she said. So, she often turns to one of her favorite Bible passages.“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. When the going gets tough, I just talk to my God.”Addae’s perseverance of handling both motherhood times four and undergraduate classes drew both the attention of and praise of Miami University Hamilton professors.“I remember bawling my eyes out one day when I was having a conversation with Miami Professor Dr. Eyad Mussallem because I thought I was going to fail a course,” Addae said. “He encouraged and believed in me when I felt I couldn’t find the strength to carry on.”Addae “is an excellent student who is always willing to volunteer to help other students and goes above and beyond what is asked of her in the classroom,” said Tricia Neu, assistant professor of Nursing and director of the FNP track. “We are so excited to have her in our grad program.”Addae wasn’t surprised by the academic assistance or high quality of it regional nursing professors.“I decided to enroll at Miami University Regionals because of its outstanding academic reputation.”And now she is also setting her sights on smashing a gender stereotype held by some family members in her old country.“Becoming a nurse practitioner will allow me to become the first woman among my siblings to pursue (an advanced degree),” she said. “I’ll break the stereotype that only men can achieve higher academic success in my family.”
Nine long months have passed since the start of the slow-motion coup in Tunisia, a country that, until recently, offered one of the best hopes for democratization in the Middle East. After shuttering the parliament with tanks in July, President Kais Saied has suspended the constitution and dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council. In perhaps the most disturbing…
The antiviral pills, plentiful in the United States, are scarce overseas. Health groups and the White House want to expand access but face obstacles that evoke the H.I.V. epidemic. WASHINGTON — A devastating virus was laying waste to nations that lacked medicines available to Americans. The pills were patented and pricey. Poor countries lacked refrigeration…