Mali – Declaration of the Sahel Alliance
(Made on behalf of the Sahel Alliance by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in her capacity as President of the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance)
8 October 2020 – The Sahel Alliance welcomes Mali’s commitment to a civil transition, that will lead, in 18 months, to the holding of credible elections and the restoration of constitutional order. We are pleased that a new start has been ushered in together with ECOWAS in a peaceful and constructive manner. This is also a positive message for us as development partners with regard to the future of our bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
This transition period and the implementation of the Charter are crucial milestones in the rebuilding of the Malian national pact around more accountable and inclusive public institutions, as clearly expressed by the Malian population.
The transition Charter highlights many issues that are of great importance to the members of the Sahel Alliance when it comes to cooperating with Mali, such as democratic and inclusive governance at all political levels which is crucial for a peaceful transition. Issues such as the fight against corruption, the fight against impunity for human rights abuses, transparency in state action, the participation of the Malian people from the entire national territory – in particular women, girls and young people – in decision-making processes and the implementation of the Agreement for peace and reconciliation are especially relevant for the road ahead. We count on the transition Government to proactively implement those priority reforms to meet Mali’s structural and long-term challenges.
The members of the Sahel Alliance have been supporting Mali intensively and will continue to be at the side of the peoples of the G5 Sahel. We will examine how we can take joint action with flexibility and rapidness in the future to actively back the transition process and lay the foundations for long-term political stability, sound governance and sustainable development. At the same time, we wish to stress that a successful implementation of the transition process will be crucial for the Sahel Alliance’s support.
We wish Mali every success in implementing the transition Charter in a peaceful and human rights-based manner. Mali and the G5 Sahel can count on the support of the Sahel Alliance.
