Office of the Spokesperson
Special Envoy for the Sahel Region Dr. J. Peter Pham will travel to Bamako, Mali from September 30 to October 3. The Special Envoy will meet with the transitional government as well as civil society, religious leaders, and officials from the United Nations, African Union, G5 Sahel and the diplomatic community. He will urge the transitional government to honor the commitments it has made to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including holding free and fair elections within 18 months. He will also encourage efforts to combat corruption, address human rights concerns, reform electoral processes, and implement the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.