APA – Bamako (Mali) – In addition to Niger, the West African regional grouping has reconsidered some of its sanctions against Guinea and Mali since military regimes came t power in Conakry and Bamako.
After taking a hard line with the region’s military regimes, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is opting to renew dialogue with Guinea and Mali.
At the end of its extraordinary summit of heads of state last Saturday in Abuja, Nigeria, the regional organisation decided to lift targeted sanctions against the two countries.
“The Authority decided to lift the restrictions on the recruitment of citizens of the Republic of Mali to professional posts within the institutions of ECOWAS,” the communiqué said.
Following two coups in August 2020 and May 2021, Mali was subjected to severe economic and financial sanctions by the institution, which opposed the transition timetable proposed by the junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita.
The organisation came to terms with the situation in July 2022 by lifting the embargo, although the Malian military authorities had still not set a date for organising elections and handing over power to civilians.
Ecowas also “decides to lift the financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea,” led since September 2021 by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya following the overthrow of President Alpha Condé.
The organisation had decided to ban financial transactions by its member institutions with this West African country, which has maritime borders, unlike Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three Sahel countries ruled by juntas that have announced their withdrawal from Ecowas to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The grouping’s decision on Guinea comes at a time when the head of the junta has dissolved the government in office since July 2022 by decree, without giving any clear signals on the date for elections.
While the communiqué announces the lifting “with immediate effect” of the heavy sanctions imposed on Niger since the coup against President Mohamed Bazoum, it makes no mention of Burkina Faso, one of the four states ruled by the military.
“The Conference (of Heads of State) mandates the President of the Commission to invite the four ECOWAS member states in transition to ECOWAS technical and consultative meetings, as well as to all meetings related to security,” the document stated.
ODL/ac/lb/as/APA