Mali appoints transitional government

Earlier this week, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the The African Union announced that it would lift sanctions—Including trade and travel blockades — on Mali as the country announced its plans for a civilian-led transitional government. On Monday, Interim President Bah Ndaw, himself a former army colonel and Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the 25-person cabinet from the West African country, of which four main positions – defense, security, territorial administration and national reconciliation – will be occupied by military officials. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United Nations Moctar Ouane will join the government as transitional prime minister, fulfilling a key condition set by ECOWAS that the transitional government be led by a civilian. The transitional government should hold elections within 18 months.

On Wednesday October 7, Mali complied with another ECOWAS request for release of former Prime Minister Boubou Cissé and other officials and soldiers detained during the August coup. In related news, Mali freed more than 100 jihadist prisoners last week in an apparent exchange with a politician and aid workers who had been kidnapped by a jihadist group linked to al-Qaida. The politician, Soumaila Cissé, triple presidential candidate, was campaigning for legislative elections in the Timbuktu region when he was kidnapped in March 2020 and was reelected to his seat in parliament while in captivity.

Somalia, US agree debt relief deal

September 27, 2020 Somali Minister of Finance Abdirahman Dualeh Beileh and US Ambassador to Somalia Donald Yamamoto signed a bilateral agreement to reduce and restructure Somalia’s debts to three US agencies. Execution of the agreement, which requires Somalia to continue to implement economic reforms in order to qualify for debt relief, will result in the forgiveness of over $ 1 billion in debt. The deal follows steps taken by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank earlier this year to qualify Somalia for debt relief that will reduce the country’s external debt by $ 5.2 billion to about $ 550 million. These agreements with the IMF, the World Bank and the United States are the result of intense economic reform efforts undertaken by Somalia over the past eight years in order to qualify for debt relief under the United States. Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.

Togo appoints first woman Prime Minister and new government

End of September, Prime Minister and Togolese government resign in a political reshuffle that had been expected since President Faure Gnassingbé’s re-election in February, but which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement published online, the president accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou, who had been Prime Minister since 2015, and congratulated him and his team on their work.

After the resignation, Gnassingbé appointed Victory Tomegah Dogbe as Prime Minister. This appointment makes Dogbe, who has held several positions under Gnassingbé’s government in previous terms, including as Chief of Staff and Minister of Youth and Local Development, the first woman to hold the post of Prime Minister in the Togo. On October 2, Dogbe then appointed a new government with a a record 30 percent of 33 ministerial positions awarded to women, including the country’s first female defense minister. The government will now be responsible for responding to COVID-19 and boost economic growth, which had slowed even before the pandemic, among other priorities.