Following the threat by three member-states run by the military to permanently withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc has extended an olive branch to the estranged members.
ECOWAS said on Saturday it is relaxing the sanctions on Niger Republic over last year’s coup.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, said, “The Authority has resolved to lift, with immediate effect, the following measures imposed on the Republic of Niger – closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Niger. No fly zone of all commercial flights to and from Niger is to be lifted. Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS member states and Niger is to be lifted. Freezing of all service transactions, including utility services, is to be lifted.”
“Also, the freezing of assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS central banks is to be lifted. Freezing of assets of Niger and the state enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks is to be lifted. Suspension of Niger from all financial assistants and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID and BIRD is to be lifted. Travel ban on the government officials and their family members is also to be lifted.”
The sanctions were being lifted “on purely humanitarian grounds”, explained Touray, but there were some conditions attached.
“The Authority calls for the immediate release of his excellency Mohammed Bazoum, former president of the Republic of Niger,” he said.
“The Authority also calls on the transition authorities in Niger to provide an acceptable transition timetable to the constitutional order.”
The stringent measures were adopted to compel Niger’s junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani to reinstate Mohamed Bazoum as the president of Niger. But they had little or no impact on the ambition of the military government, which has since consolidated its hold on power.
About the ineffectiveness of the sanctions, ECOWAS chairman and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the bloc “must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our member states”, referring to Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, as well as Guinea, which is also military-led.
Tinubu urged Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to “reconsider the decision” to pull out of ECOWAS, and said they should “not perceive our organisation as the enemy.”
The organisation also resolved to lift several other sanctions, including the recruitment of Malian citizens in statutory and professional positions within ECOWAS and the lifting of financial and economic sanctions on the Republic of Guinea.
