UN demands "rapid return" of civilians to power in Mali and Guinea

The head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said that the military in power in Guinea and Mali must work for a "rapid" return to civilian rule in both countries.

Mahamat said this during a special meeting to discuss the prevailing situations in the two countries further calling for a return to constitutional order.

"We believe simply that with the latest measures that have been taken, particularly with regard to Mali, we still hope that a solution will be found. And when I see the latest developments in Mali, I dare to believe that they have taken the ECOWAS decisions seriously and that they will move towards a way out of the crisis," said  Mahamat.

He further said that "reasonable deadlines are needed in relation to Guinea" but "unfortunately, the West African country has not yet presented any plan for an election".

"With regard to coastal countries, my approach is as follows: all the coastal countries that I have met, I have told them or drawn their attention to the possible risks of a link between what is happening in the Sahel and what is happening in maritime piracy for organized crime in the Gulf of Guinea. We should have a regional approach rather than seeing those in the Sahel and those in the Gulf of Guinea," he said.

The military in Guinea overthrew the former President Alpha Conde, who had been in power for 10 years, on 5 September. Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has since been sworn in as president for an unspecified transitional period