Mali's Supreme Court declares Colonel Assimi Goita as interim president
On Friday, the Constitutional Court in Mali declared Colonel Assimi Guetta, who led a military coup last week, the new interim president of the country.
This ruling increases the stakes as West African leaders prepare to meet tomorrow, Sunday, to respond to accusations of a power grab that jeopardizes a return to democracy and could undermine a regional battle against terrorists.
Colonel Assimi Guetta became Vice President during Mali's transition to democracy after he led the coup that toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last August. On Monday, Colonel Assimi Guetta ordered the arrest of interim Malian president Bah Ndaw and his prime minister, Mukhtar Wan.
The two resigned on Wednesday while in detention and were later released.
The court said that Colonel Assimi Guetta should fill the void left by Ndau's resignation "to lead the transition process to an end," and he held the title of "head of the transitional period, head of state."
The ruling puts Mali on a collision course with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which insists on continuing civilian leadership of the transitional phase that is due to end with elections in February.
After agreeing in October to lift the sanctions imposed after the coup against Keita, ECOWAS said that the transitional vice president "can not, under any circumstance, replace the president."
The heads of the 15-nation ECOWAS will meet in Ghana on Sunday.
ECOWAS and Western countries, including France and the United States, fear that the political crisis will exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali, where regional groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists are stationed.
Colonel Assimi Guetta, 38, the commander of the Special Forces, was one of several officers who led the coup against Keita. Bendau was ousted after the interim president appointed a new government that stripped two other coup leaders of their ministerial posts.
Colonel Assimi Guetta said on state television late Friday that he would appoint a new prime minister from among the members of the coalition that led the protests against Keita last year and had disagreed with Ndaw and Wan during the transition period.
