Mali's transition committee appointed retired army Colonel Bah N'Daw as the nation's interim leader, a month after seizing power in a military coup.
Junta leader Assimi Goita will assume the role of vice president, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People said in a statement on its Facebook page Monday.
N'Daw, a former defense minister, will govern Mali for a maximum of 18 months, according to a political charter for the transition negotiated between the junta, political party and civil society leaders earlier this month.
Mali's military leadership is preparing to hand over power amid regional and international pressure for a swift transfer to civilian rule. The Economic Community of West African States last week threatened to reinforce sanctions against Mali if the junta didn't name a civilian interim president by Sept. 23. The regional bloc closed borders and halted all money transfers to Mali following the Aug. 18 coup.
N'Daw, a former general, fits ECOWAS' demands according to Kalilou Sidibe, a political science and law professor at the University of Bamako.
By “naming a retired army officer, the junta just managed to meet the regional bloc's criteria,” Sidibe said by phone from Bamako.
N'Daw and Goita will be sworn in later this week following a visit by the bloc's mediator, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
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