ECOWAS
Senegalese President Macky Sall, President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, Nigers President Mahamadou Issoufou, Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari, and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana led the mediation together with former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan in the capital Bamako.
Jonathan was recently appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a special envoy to head its mediation mission in Mali.
The group first met with Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, followed by talks with a coalition of opposition groups, who are calling for Keitas resignation.
But late on Thursday, none of the parties were willing to make concessions, bringing the mediation to a standstill.
The coalition led by popular cleric Mahmoud Dicko accused Keitas administration of bad governance and non-governance, at the end of the talks, while a spokesman for Keitas camp described the calls for the presidents resignation as unconstitutional.
The mediation effortscome after several weeks of violent protests, during which dozens of people were killed.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have accused Keita of gross intimidation and buying votes during a controversial parliamentary election in April, which gave Keitas administration a firm majority.
Political instability in Mali is seen as a dangerous development for the entire Sahel region, which already faces ongoing threats from numerous terrorist and separatist groups.
Source: NAN News