UN chief: Mali military should hold elections in short time

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says Mali’s military leaders needs to hold delayed elections in “a relatively short amount of time” — not in 2026 as President Assimi Goita announced earlier this month. The U.N. chief said in an interview Thursday with AP that he has spoken to president Goita, three presidents from the West African regional group ECOWAS, Algeria’s prime minister, and the African Union leader about “how to make sure that in Mali, there is an acceptable calendar for the transition for a civilian government.” He said he has been trying to create conditions for an ECOWAS-government solution.