Weeks after the 18 August coup d’état in Mali and the West African country is no closer to putting in place a transitional government that will lead the nation to new elections. The military officers now in charge, who call themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), have promised to include the opposition and civil society in a transition back to civilian rule, pledging that this will happen within a “reasonable” timeframe. While for the moment, the coup seems to have the popular support of the Malian people, who have long been frustrated with a lack of security and declining economy, the international community is pushing for a short transitional period, with elections being held as quickly as possible.

On Monday 24 August, talks between West African mediators and Mali’s military coup leaders concluded after three days of discussions without any decision on the make-up of a transitional government. The talks began with a brief session on Saturday and then continued through both Sunday and Monday, with ECOWAS suspending the talks after no agreements could be reached. While the ECOWAS bloc had deployed mediators to Mali in a bid to reinstate former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was ousted in the coup last week, the talks focused more on who would lead the West African country and for how long rather than addressing the possibility of reinstating the president. Last week’s coup has raised concerns that the latest political turmoil in Mali could fuel further terror attacks while enabling Islamist militants to expand their foothold. 

Case studies highlighting solutions implemented using MS Risk strategies and programs.