After Niger; ECOWAS to lift some sanctions on Mali, Guinea
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The Economic Community of West African States says it will be lifting financial and economic sanctions against Guinea and remove restrictions on Malians being recruited to professional roles by member states.
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An ECOWAS flag is seen placed amid flags of member states at the bloc’s extraordinary summit on February 3, 2022. (AFP)
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced that it was lifting some sanctions it had imposed between 2020-2023 on Guinea and Mali.
This decision comes just one day following similar measures taken for Niger, which were agreed upon during a Saturday emergency summit for the bloc.
ECOWAS also declared that it would remove financial and economic sanctions against Guinea and lift restrictions on the recruitment of Malians for professional roles within the bloc's institutions.
Read more: Niger and the African struggle against neo-colonialism
Alliance of Sahel States
The three countries, in addition to Burkina Faso, had their memberships suspended earlier following military coups which led to the establishment of new governments.
In 2022, economic and financial sanctions were lifted from Mali, which experienced coups in both 2020 and 2021, following the military's announcement of a transition schedule to restore civilian governance.
Several sanctions imposed on Niger, including a no-fly zone, border closures, and asset freezes, were lifted on Saturday by the bloc on "humanitarian grounds." However, political and individual sanctions are still in effect.
Directly after Niger's coup ousted the Western-backed president, ECOWAS froze the country's assets, imposed sanctions on its leaders, and gave a stern warning of military intervention if the former government is not restored within a week's deadline at the time.
Correspondingly, and after decades of suffering under French colonialism and now seeing Paris' role in pushing ECOWAS to attack their country, Niger's new leadership halted uranium and gold exports to Europe, revoked all military deals with France, and blocked French media platforms France24 and RFI.
Mali and Burkina Faso who had also left the bloc vehemently opposed the threat of military intervention against Niger saying they would consider it a declaration of war against their respective nations.
Read more: Niger military warn against military intervention ahead of ECOWAS
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger declared in January their prompt exit from ECOWAS short months after they announced forming the "Alliance of Sahel States.
