The ECOWAS Heads of State decided on Saturday, following an extraordinary summit, to lift part of the sanctions against Niger, the President of the Regional Organization Commission announced on Saturday in Abuja.
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The Heads of State of the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided on Saturday February 24 to lift part of the sanctions against Niger, the President of the Commission of the Regional Organization announced in Abuja.
ECOWAS has “decided to lift with immediate effect” the heaviest sanctions imposed on Niger since the military regime that ousted elected president Mohamed Bazoum seized power in Niamey in July, ECOWAS President Omar Aliyu Toure announced.
Niger’s borders and airspace will be reopened, financial transactions between ECOWAS countries and Niger will be reauthorized, and Niger state assets will be frozen “for humanitarian reasons,” declared Omar Elue Toure.
“Personal and political sanctions remain in place,” he added, without elaborating.
He also demanded the “immediate release” of deposed Nigerian President Mohammed Bazoum, who was detained with his wife by the military regime for seven months.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, led by military regimes and under ECOWAS sanctions, are unaffected by these declarations.
“Review Our Approach”
The regional body convened a new extraordinary summit on Saturday to discuss “politics, peace and security in Niger Republic”, it announced in a press release, as well as “recent developments in the region”.
Referring to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who holds the presidency of ECOWAS, declared in the introduction, “We must review our approach to return constitutional order to our four member states.”
The restrictions have hit the Sahelian country hard, where the extreme poverty rate is over 40% according to the World Bank.
ECOWAS first threatened the new regime in Niamey with military intervention before backing down.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, which have significantly turned their backs on France and moved closer to Russia, have grouped together in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
All three countries announced their intention to leave ECOWAS in January.
In mid-February, the head of the Nigerian military regime, General Abdurrahmane Tiani, spoke of the possible creation of a common currency with Burkina Faso and Mali, as a “step” in “decolonization”.
The announcement of the withdrawal of Burkinabè, Nigerian and Malian from ECOWAS has raised the concern of millions of citizens, individuals and businessmen of these countries.
ECOWAS in fact guarantees citizens of 15 member countries to be able to travel without a visa and establish themselves in member countries to work or live there.
“reconciliation”
ECOWAS members last met on February 9 when they called for “reconciliation” with the military regimes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and urged them to remain in the regional grouping.
ECOWAS is also being tested by the political crisis Senegal is experiencing after head of state Macky Sell postponed presidential elections, but the topic was not mentioned on Saturday.
The Senegalese president, who did not attend the previous summit, is present this time, two days after announcing that he will end his mandate when it expires on April 2 but without setting a new date for presidential elections.
The vote was initially scheduled for 25 February but President Macky Sall postponed it in early February, as Senegal plunged into the worst political crisis in its post-independence history, causing great concern within the ranks of ECOWAS.
with AFP
