West African leaders accept “very tough” sanctions

West African leaders who met in Agra on Sunday over the Mali issue adopted “extremely severe” sanctions on Sunday because the ruling party failed to meet the February deadline for elections to bring the people back to power, a participant said above.

Heads of state and government leaders of the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS), who sit behind closed doors in the Ghanaian capital, have accepted measures comparable to those taken after the August 2020 coup, an unnamed senior official said while awaiting regularization. Of activities.

ECOWAS closed member states’ borders with Mali and imposed sanctions on trade and financial transactions, in addition to basic requirements.

ECOWAS leaders immediately endorsed the measures taken at the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) summit, the same official said. All UEMOA countries are members of ECOWAS.

During their meeting, which was intended to prepare the ground for a concerted effort, the leaders of the UEMOA states met with their “Confident” Against military rule, one participant said anonymously.

Two ministers in the Colonel-dominated Mali government have submitted to ECOWAS on Saturday the revised timetable for the return of the civilian leadership to the country, which has been in the grip of two military coups and a deep security crisis since 2020.

“Funny”

“Mali’s counter-proposal is a four-year change. It’s ridiculous.”, Said a senior Ghanaian official whose country is currently the head of the ECOWAS and spoke anonymously so as not to interfere in future discussions.

Mali’s ruling elite initially asked for a five – year reprieve. The new offer is for “Conversation with ECOWAS and maintaining good cooperation”, One of the two Malian ambassadors on foreign television on Saturday said without mentioning the content of Foreign Minister Abdulla Diob.

The move was clearly intended to quell the anger of many leaders gathered in Agra.

Since the coup d’tat in August 2020 was strengthened in May 2021, Colonel Azimi has taken over as chairman of Coita. “Change”, ECOWAS is pressuring citizens to return soon.

For a company whose credibility is at stake, the question is about protecting its core management principles, preventing the spread of trust and controlling regional instability. He received the commitment of the Colonels to hold the Assembly and Presidential elections in February 2022 after the first regime.

The jury reluctantly succumbed to the pressure. Says today that the deadline could not be met. Authorities are instigating continued insecurity in a country plagued by all forms of violence, jihadists, community and villainy … Previous Reforms They reaffirm the need for preliminary reforms so that elections are not as competitive as the previous ones.

Freezing of financial assets

This is the eighth time that West African leaders have spoken directly about Mali, either face-to-face or via video conference, measuring the importance of ECOWAS’s role in the country at the heart of the Sahelian instability. September 2021) Since August 2020, normal summits have not been counted.

“Extending the transition period to five years is of concern to the entire West African region.”, Current president of WAEMU, Burkina Faso state president Roche Mark Christian Cabore announced in his inaugural address. He was reluctant to give the colonels more time “All political, economic and social reforms aimed at rebuilding Mali will be carried out only by democratically elected officials.”

ECOWAS has frozen their financial assets and imposed a travel ban on 150 people.

At their December 12 summit, West African leaders posed the threat of sanctions “Economics and Finance” Extra.

In the midst of the epidemic, the embargo imposed on a poor and landlocked country by 2020 was severely felt. The ban was lifted after a month and a half.