The West African Group is concerned that the recent coup d’état could jeopardize Mali’s transition to democracy and increase regional insecurity.

Mali’s coup leader and newly appointed interim president, Colonel Asimi Goita, have been summoned to an emergency meeting of West African leaders in Ghana.

At a special summit on Sunday, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will discuss how to respond to Mali’s second coup in nine months.

According to AFP, Gota left Bamako on Saturday for Ghana’s capital Accra after receiving a letter from the Economic Community of West African States requesting “consultations”.

The Office of the President of Mali said in a statement on Facebook that Goita will participate in the special summit “with his peers” and will also hold bilateral talks with regional leaders.

Press release on the visit of colonel president during the transitional period @GoitaAssimi In Accra, he will join his colleagues in the subregion to participate in the special ECOWAS summit on the situation in Mali scheduled to be held this Sunday ?https://t.co/uy0c9EA3sd pic.twitter.com/dtGFgH9v9y

—President Mali (@PresidenceMali) May 29, 2021

The summit is scheduled to start at 2:00 pm on Sunday (14:00 GMT).

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) acted as mediator when Goita and others overthrew Mali’s democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August last year.

The EU fears that this acquisition will exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali and undermine the regional struggles of armed groups linked to Al-Qaida and ISIL.

ECOWAS, the United States and France have all warned of new sanctions.

French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to Rwanda and South Africa on Saturday that he told West African leaders that they could not support a country that “no longer has democratic legitimacy or transition.”

The turmoil in Mali began last week when Gota ordered the arrest of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane. Two soldiers were absent due to a dispute over the reorganization of the cabinet.

Gota served as vice president at the time.

Ndaw and Ouane resigned during their detention on Wednesday and were later released.

Then, the Constitutional Court violated the joint statement issued after the talks after the coup in August last year, appointing Gota as the new transitional president of Mali. The declaration reached between ECOWAS and Mali’s civilian and military leaders stated that the vice president of the transitional period “can not replace the president under any circumstances.”

As the military resumed its previous commitments to civilian political leaders, people expressed doubts about its other commitments, including holding elections in early 2020.

The military said this week that it will continue to comply with the timetable, but added that it may change.