Former Foreign Affairs minister Moctar Ouane was named prime minister of Mali’s transitional government by the president, Bah Ndaw, state TV reported on Sunday.
Ouane, a career diplomat, had served in government in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2011. He also served as Mali’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and diplomatic adviser to ECOWAS.
The leadership of the transitional government will hope that the appointment of the 64-year-old will result in a lifting of sanctions by ECOWAS.
On Friday, ECOWAS mediator Goodluck Jonathan said the bloc will maintain its sanctions on Mali until a civilian prime minister was appointed.
Jonathan made the comments following the swearing in of Ndaw as the head of the transitional government.
Some of the sanctions on Mali, used as leverage in negotiations to restore normalcy in the country, include closing borders and restricting trade and financial flows. They, however, do not affect basic necessities, drugs, equipment to fight coronavirus, fuel or electricity.
