Mali junta rejects ECOWAS' 'illegal, illegitimate' sanctions
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Mali's Colonel Assimi Goita-led interim authority has rejected as "illegal and illegitimate," the economic and financial sanctions imposed on Sunday on Mali by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
Leaders of both regional organisations after their Summits in Accra, Ghana, on 9 January, announced withdrawal of all ECOWAS Ambassadors in Mali; closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Mali, suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Mali, with the exception of the following products: essential consumer goods; pharmaceutical products; medical supplies and equipment, including materials for the control of COVID-19; petroleum products and electricity.
They also decided to freeze assets of Mali in ECOWAS Central Banks; freeze of assets of the Malian State and the State Enterprises and Parastatals in Commercial Banks; and suspend it from all financial assistance and transactions from all financial institutions.
"The Authority instructs all Community Institutions to take steps to implement these sanctions which will be implemented with immediate effect."
The communique said the sanctions will be gradually lifted only after an acceptable and agreed chronogram is finalised and monitored satisfactory progress is realised in the implementation of the chronogram for the elections.
In a sharp response, Mali's interim authority described the sanctions as violations of the both organisations' principles and legal texts.
It warned that Malian population already suffering from the COVID-19pandemic would be badly hurt.
The interim government appealed to the citizens to remain calm, saying that the Malian armed forces would be vigilant to protect the country's sovereignty in apparent reference to ECOWAS' decision to "activate the regional Stand-by Force for any eventuality".
The government said the sanctions came at a time when Malian Armed Forces were recording successes in the fight against terrorism in the country.
The tightening of sanctions followed the regional organisations' rejection of the four-year transition timetable proposed to ECOWAS in a letter dated 7 January, 2022, instead of five years proposed.
ECOWAS had asked that elections be held by the end of February under the agreed transition timetable but Mali said this was abandoned because of the required political and constitutional reforms.
The sanctions against Mali are unprecedented in the history of both ECOWAS and WAEMU.
Their crippling effects could compound the political instability and insecurity in the country, which terrorists and jihadists are currently using as a launch pad for deadly attacks on neighbouring countries, especially Burkina Faso and Niger.
Political analysts are asking whether the sanctions too harsh and what is the role of France, the former colonial power in Mali, which is reducing its forces in the troubled Sahel region but at the same time opposes Mali's plan to obtain military support from Russia?
Paul Ejime, an ECOWAS expert, said the sub-region can ill-afford further destabilisation with potential consequences of humanitarian disaster, displacements and more refugees amid the troubling perception of recession of democracy and rising military incursions in politics in the region.
"The sanctions might be designed to serve as deterrent against putschists, but how effective will they be in resolving the complex and complicated political and security problems in Mali?" Ejime asked.
He said only structured, strategic, honest and dispassionate engagements/negotiations based on good faith and with the interests of ordinary Malians at heart could be the way forward.
ECOWAS leaders themselves, must also play by the rules and stop "political coups", the illegal alteration of national constitutions, election rigging, tenure elongation, corruption, blatant human rights violation and oppression of citizens, Ejime said.
"Only good governance can deliver the dividends of democracy; guarantee peace and security and stop military coups, not sanctions," he said.
-0- PANA PR/MA 10Jan2022
