At a Thursday emergency conference, West African leaders decided to gradually apply penalties on Guinea’s junta due to its rigidity in establishing a timeline for returning to democratic administration.
The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States gathered in New York while attending the UN General Assembly, absent the suspended leaders of Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
According to a meeting summary, the leaders decided to impose “gradual sanctions” on a list of individuals connected to the Guinean junta that will be made public “very soon.”
Since a coup overthrew president Alpha Conde, who had been in office since 2010, in September 2021, the military has dominated the impoverished but mineral-rich Guinea.
Bernard Gomou, the prime minister of Guinea who was selected by the junta, had before criticized Umaro Sissoco Embalo, calling him a “puppet wearing the mantle of a statesman.”
Embalo, who is also the president of Guinea-Bissau, was described as an “overexcited” man who “forced his way in” to the ECOWAS presidency by Gomou in a statement.
The prime minister also mentioned the two nations’ proximity geographically and their shared ancestry, but he issued a warning: “No political upstart, much less an opportunist with inadequate preparation, will cause us to undermine this treasured history.”
– “Unacceptable” timeframe – Embalo claimed to have reached a deal with the junta to hand over power to elected citizens after two years during a visit to Guinea.
In an interview with France’s RFI and France 24 broadcasters on Wednesday, Embalo stated that three years in power followed by a return to civilian administration was “unacceptable for ECOWAS.”
In the interview, Embalo issued a warning that the junta would face “severe consequences, even” if it stuck to its schedule.
Mali had coups in August 2020 and May 2021, with Guinea and Burkina Faso following in September 2021 and January 2022, respectively.
A March 2024 return to civilian rule has been accepted by ECOWAS, which has eased the severe sanctions it had previously put on Mali’s military government.
Guinea and Mali, however, continue to be excluded from ECOWAS committees.rands are suspended in Kenya due to quality issues
Ten cooking oil products were taken off the market in Kenya due to quality and safety issues.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) said in a letter to the supermarkets and retail stores that the brands had failed standard quality checks.
It demanded that the brands be taken off the stores right away.
However, the standards organization made it clear that the directive was just a temporary suspension until the makers met the required standards for quality.
The identified products shall undergo new verification before being reintroduced to the market, according to Kebs’ letter to the Retail Traders Association of Kenya, an organization made comprised of supermarkets and big-box stores.
The four biggest edible oil producers in Kenya—Bidco Africa, Pwani Oil Products, Kapa Oil Refineries, and Menengai Oil Refineries—manufacture the ten brands listed.
According to industry sources, Kebs and the oil producers will meet on Friday to resolve the problems.
