The West African bloc announced the decision of its members to relax the economic and political restrictions imposed against both countries after the takeover of military junta in their governments through coup strategies between 2020 and 2023. These approaches come a day later that ECOWAS will report on the lifting of sanctions on Niger, governed by another coup junta.
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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is seeking to reestablish ties with several of its members. After an emergency meeting between the institution's senior officials on February 24, the bloc's final declaration reported on the lifting of some of the sanctions that are hanging over Guinea and Mali.
Regarding the Republic of Guinea, ECOWAS decided to withdraw “economic and financial” penalties against the military government that overthrew the president, Alpha Condé, in 2021. After the event, the African bloc had decided to freeze the transactions of its institutions with Conakry , Guinean capital.
As for Mali, which experienced a string of coups in 2020 and 2021, the international group decided to lift restrictions on recruiting Malian citizens to ECOWAS institutions. Already in 2022, the bloc decided to lift economic and financial sanctions on Mali, after the military in power will agree on an agenda to transition back to civilian government.
Based in Abuja, Nigeria, the ECOWAS leadership, headed this time by Nigeria itself, which holds the rotating presidency of the organization, called its members to an emergency meeting, where the future was deliberated in the “search for order constitutional in four of our Member States,” as mentioned by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, referring, in addition to Guinea and Mali, to Burkina Faso and Niger.
The rapprochements began with Niger
At the same meeting where African states debated the lifting of sanctions against Mali and Guinea, The future of relations with Niger was also one of the main topics at the meeting.
For “purely humanitarian” reasons, according to the president of the ECOWAS commission, Omar Alieu Touray, The African organization decided to lift restrictions on land and air mobility over Niger territory. Niger's borders and airspace will be reopened “with immediate effect.”
Government accounts will also be unfrozen for “humanitarian reasons,” Touray added in his closing speech to the emergency meeting on February 24.
However, relations between the organization and Niger remain tense. Touray also mentioned that the political and “individual” sanctions on all those participating in the coup d'état will remain “in force.”
In addition to this, the president of the commission requested, once again, the release of the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held in the government palace since the coup attempts began on July 26.
ECOWAS asks the coup plotters to “reconsider” their departure from the bloc
After the threat of Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Niger to leave ECOWAS last January, the African bloc has sought alternative ways to resume good relations with the military junta.
The regional group has extended the invitation to the coup governments to participate in “technical and consultative meetings” to establish paths to civil law.
“The (ECOWAS) authority further urges countries to reconsider the decision (to leave the bloc) in view of the benefits that ECOWAS Member States and their citizens enjoy in the community,” Touray said, introducing a change radical in the attitude of the organization, which in the past had seriously considered sending international troops to restore democratic order in Niger.
As a young organization, barely accumulating 49 years of existence, ECOWAS faces one of the greatest diplomatic challenges in its entire history, since four of its 15 members are questioning their stay in the bloc and causing political instability and uncertainty in the future of the region.
With AP, AFP and Reuters
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