Security Updates

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.