| schema:articleBody
| - Mali's opposition on Tuesday, for the third time, rejected a compromise intended to defuse a weeks-long political crisis, alarming observers fearful that the poor Sahel country may slide into chaos. In a statement, the so-called June 5 Movement demanded "more than ever" the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, accusing his government of bearing "full responsibility" for Mali's crisis. The announcement came a day after heads of the 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS stood by Keita and urged him to forge a unity government and resolve an election dispute that has sparked outrage. The bloc, whose leaders conferred by video link, also warned of sanctions against those who oppose its efforts at "normalisation". Within hours, Keita named a stripped-down cabinet with ministers for security, justice, foreign affairs and finance, and tasked it with negotiating the formation of a unity government. But in scathing language, the June 5 Movement said it had "learned of the conclusions of the extraordinary summit with astonishment." ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- "is continuing to reduce the socio-political crisis in Mali to a simple electoral dispute over the second round of the legislative elections," it said. The proposals "do not meet the expectations and aspirations of the Malian people in any form, and above all breach the laws and constitution of Mali," the statement said. Keita, 75, has been in power since 2013. He is battling major problems on several fronts, including a brutal eight-year-old jihadist revolt and a slumping economy. But much of Mali's current tension was sparked in April, when the Constitutional Court tossed out 31 results from long-delayed parliamentary elections -- a move that benefited Keita's party. Protests began, ratcheting up into a crisis on July 10 when an anti-Keita rally organised by the June 5 Movement turned violent. Eleven people died in clashes with security forces over several days, marking the bloodiest political unrest the former French colony has seen in years. Seeking resolution, ECOWAS mediators this month suggested forming a new government of national unity and appointing new judges to the Consitutional Court to revisit the election dispute. But the opposition flatly rejected their proposals, insisting that Keita resign. Five African presidents flew to Mali for a one-day mediation mission last Thursday to bolster support for the proposals, but were again rebuffed. Mahmoud Dicko, a Saudi-trained imam who is considered the June 5 Movement's figurehead, said last week that he would "prefer to die as a martyr rather than die as a traitor. "The young people who lost their lives (in the protests) did not lose them for nothing." Tuesday's rejection marks the third time Mali's opposition has dismissed the compromise plan, raising the spectre of further unrest. The move will strike fear into the country's international allies and neighbours, who are anxious to avoid further conflict in the war-torn Sahel state. President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, who also currently heads ECOWAS, warned his fellow leaders during Monday's summit that Mali risked falling prey to Islamist militants. But the June 5 Movement -- a loose alliance of opposition groups and religious leaders -- said Tuesday that the West African bloc was "brandishing the terrorist-Islamist scarecrow" to distract from legitimate concerns about Keita. It added that the Malian people would "remain mobilised and determined to enforce their constitutional right to civil disobedience". Yaya Ouattara, a 27-year-old student, told AFP that he had thought ECOWAS was no longer a "presidents' syndicate" -- echoing a widespread criticism of the clannishness of regional leaders. "It was a big surprise when they ignored the real problems of Malians," he said. The June 5 Movement had earlier said that a truce would hold until July 31, but some younger opposition members had announced they would presume protests after August 3. sd-kt-siu/sba/eml/gd
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)