Africa
ECOWAS Suspends Mali Over Coup but Doesn’t Impose New Sanctions
West African leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspends Mali from the regional bloc over the coup last week. This coup took place in less than nine months from the first coup attempt. They, however, did not impose new sanctions as they did in the previous one.
In last week’s revolt, the new interim president, a former army colonel Assimi Goita was declared president. The army colonel is also the one that led the August coup.
An emergency meeting was held on Sunday at Accra, Ghana by the leaders of the 15-member states of ECOWAS to discuss and agree to an appropriate response to the coup.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway said Mali’s suspension “from ECOWAS takes immediate effect until the deadline of the end of February 2022”, when the country’s interim leaders “are supposed to hand over to a democratically elected government”.
The bloc also called for the immediate appointment of a new civilian prime minister and the formation of an “inclusive” government.
However, it did not announce sanctions like those it imposed after the coup last August, which saw members temporarily close their borders with landlocked Mali and halt all financial transactions.
The coup has led to international leaders also reacting as France’s President Macron has threatened to withdraw military troops from Mali. With the ongoing terrorism activities in Mali, withdrawing military troops from the country will lead to more unrest.
The statement by the member states also expressed “strong and deep concerns over the present crisis in Mali”, which it noted “is coming halfway to the end of the agreed transition period, in the context of the security challenges related to incessant terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 Pandemic with its dire socio-economic impacts”.
Mali has been having relentless economic problems including consistent terror attacks that lead to severed economic ties with other nations and the impacts of the ongoing pandemic have not made the economic situation any better.
Mali is supposed to have its general elections on 27th February 2022. With the ongoing political crisis, the member states of ECOWAS have called for calm and peace so as to also bring back the normal economic status of the country.
By Joy Ngoiri
