West Africa’s regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), announced on Sunday a softening of its stance towards Guinea and Mali, easing sanctions imposed on both countries following military coups. This comes just one day after a similar decision regarding Niger, another nation under military rule.
The sanctions, implemented between 2020 and 2023 as a response to the coups, included financial and economic restrictions. In Guinea, ECOWAS lifted the ban on financial transactions with its member institutions, previously imposed after Colonel Mamady Doumbouya ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. For Mali, which underwent coups in 2020 and 2021, the bloc ended restrictions on recruitment of Malians to professional positions within ECOWAS institutions. Notably, these decisions were not announced publicly during the closing speech but included in the bloc’s official statement.
ECOWAS had previously suspended all four countries involved in military takeovers – Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger – from its membership. However, the recent easing of sanctions suggests a shift in approach, potentially motivated by the desire for renewed dialogue. This comes amidst concerns about the three aforementioned nations announcing their intention to leave the bloc, aligning with Russia and severing ties with traditional partners like France.
“We must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our member states,” stated Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ECOWAS, at the beginning of Saturday’s emergency summit in Abuja.
While the easing of sanctions signifies a change, it’s important to note that political and individual sanctions remain in place for Niger, and Guinea’s financial transactions are still restricted with non-ECOWAS institutions. It remains to be seen whether this shift in policy will lead to a successful resolution of the ongoing political turmoil in these countries.
