“It is our community’s duty to help Malians towards the swift re-establishment of all democratic institutions. The military junta must help us to help Mali,” President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, ECOWAS’ current chairman, said at the start of a summit.

The intervention failed to seal a deal, but the Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou during the talks along with the leaders of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria said Western African bloc ECOWAS would hold a summit on Monday, 27 July for further deliberations on the issues raised.

But, President Issoufou, who is also the Chairman, ECOWAS Heads of Government, said the body will do all it can to resolve the political crisis in Mali.

He gave the assurance at a briefing after hours of consultations in the nation’s capital, Bamako, on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, Host President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Presidents Machy Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire.

They were briefed by ECOWAS Special Envoy, former President Goodluck Jonathan,  Imam Mahmoud Dicko, representatives of opposition alliance, M5-RFP and civil society organisations.

President Keita also gave a brief on the socio-political situation, especially the disagreements that spiralled into protests and violence.

Issoufou said the regional leaders agreed there would be a need for a compromise to protect the peace and integrity of Mali.

He noted that allowing the political crisis to linger would affect other West African countries.

The ECOWAS Chairman commended Jonathan for accepting to lead the mission to the country to broker peace.

In his remarks, Akufo-Addo hinted that the ECOWAS protocol would be followed.

He said the tenet adopted by the body spells out that a President can only be voted into power, and voted out by election, except he completes his tenure.

President Buhari returned to Nigeria at the end of the meeting returned to Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, Presidents Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, Macky Sall of Senegal, Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana are some of the leaders who arrived in Bamako on Thursday.

InsideOjodu had earlier reported that the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Wednesday said President  Muhammadu Buhari, would be flying out of Abuja for Bamako, Mali, on Thursday on a peacekeeping mission.

According to Adesina; “President Muhammadu Buhari will Thursday depart for Bamako, Republic of Mali on a one-day visit, following the briefing by the ECOWAS Special Envoy to the country, former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The Nigerian President and some ECOWAS leaders led by the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the sub-regional organisation, President Issoufou Mahamadou of Niger Republic, agreed to meet in Mali to engage in further consultations towards finding a political solution to the crisis in the country.”