At a regional conference on Sunday, West African leaders decided to withdraw sanctions against two countries that were previously ruled by military rulers but are now promising a return to democracy.
Mali and Burkina Faso will still be suspended from the regional group, but the Economic Community of West African States summit decided to withdraw all economic and financial sanctions on them, according to Ivorian politician and ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou.
Guinea, the third sanctioned nation, didn’t get a break since it didn’t provide a viable electoral roadmap, the official claimed.
He declared that unless the three countries hold elections, ECOWAS would suspend all three of them.
Leaders at the meeting in Ghana’s capital, Accra, endorsed transition plans offered by military authorities in Mali and Burkina Faso, and sanctions against those nations were subsequently lifted. The junta in Mali suggested holding the presidential election by March 2024. Burkina Faso suggested a transition period of 24 months before elections.
Mali was subject to severe sanctions from ECOWAS in January, which included the closure of most of its crossings with other member states as well as its land and air borders. Mali’s economy has been decimated by the sanctions, which has caused significant misery and humanitarian concerns.
