These measures represent a move by ECOWAS to initiate talks with the Sahel juntas. Notably, Burkina Faso, one of the four nations under military rule since 2020 and subject to ECOWAS sanctions, was not addressed.
Following Niger, Guinea, and Mali, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) released a statement on Sunday, February 25, announcing the “lifting of financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea” and the “removal of restrictions on the recruitment of citizens of the Republic of Mali for positions within ECOWAS institutions.”
The regional body had convened an extraordinary summit on Saturday to address “politics, peace, and security in the Republic of Niger,” as well as “recent developments in the region.” The details of lifting sanctions against Guinea and Mali were not explicitly mentioned during the final statement by Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission on Saturday evening.
In Guinea, ECOWAS had imposed a ban on financial transactions with its member institutions a year after Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya seized power, toppling President Alpha Condé in September 2021. The junta leader subsequently announced the dissolution of the government in office since July 2022 by decree on Monday.
In Mali, which witnessed coups in 2020 and 2021, the regional bloc had imposed economic and financial sanctions, lifting them in July 2022 when the ruling junta disclosed its transition timetable.
During the Saturday afternoon announcement, Mr. Alieu Touray stated that ECOWAS “decided to immediately lift” the most severe sanctions imposed on Niger since the military regime took control in Niamey, ousting elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July.
Notably, Burkina Faso, one of the four states under military rule since 2020 and subjected to ECOWAS sanctions, was not mentioned in the regional organization’s final statement.
These decisions signify ECOWAS taking a step towards engaging in dialogue with the three military regimes. Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, which notably shifted away from France and aligned with Russia, expressed their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS in January, forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
