The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said on Tuesday it had decided to close its member states’ borders with Mali after mutinying soldiers detained President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
ECOWAS said in a statement it was also suspending all financial flows between its 15 members and Mali and suspending Mali from its decision-making bodies.
It called on the ECOWAS commission to impose sanctions on the “putschists and their partners and collaborators”.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the arrest of Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and top government officials by mutinying soldiers on Tuesday, calling for their immediate release, a UN spokesperson said.
“The Secretary-General … calls for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and rule of law in Mali,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Statement from the UN Secretary General’s Spokesperson on Mali #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/MfiWGleB90
— Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) August 18, 2020
Political commentator, Kassoum Coulibaly gives his view on the matter:
![[File Image] Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SABC-News-Mmamoloko-Kubayi-GCIS-120x86.jpg)
![[File Image]: ANC flag seen at an event.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SABC-News-ANC-R-2.jpeg)
![[File photo] Athletes waiting to start the Comrades Marathon in Pietermaritzburg.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Comrades-Twitter-@ComradesRace-120x86.png)
