ECOWAS summit: sanctions maintained against Mali, Guinea and Burkina under pressure – RFI

Published on: 03/26/2022 – 02:38Modified on: 03/26/2022 – 02:40 ECOWAS Heads of State met in Accra, Ghana, on Friday March 25, for a new extraordinary summit behind closed doors . They examined the situation in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, three countries that have been the scene of military coups. Sanctions are maintained against Mali, while Burkina Faso and Guinea are given ultimatums. “Our democratic values ​​must be preserved,” said Jean-Claude Kassi Brou. The President of the ECOWAS Commission also spoke at the microphone of Peter Sassou Dogbé, at the end of the extraordinary summit on Friday: “The Heads of State have in mind concerns about security issues, the question of sanctions which have an impact on the economy and the people, and how to help Mali move towards the return to constitutional order. » ECOWAS summit: sanctions maintained against Mali Peter Dogbe The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), meeting in Accra, have decided to maintain the sanctions imposed on Mali. They again call for a transition of another 12 to 16 months to allow for a gradual lifting of the sanctions. About a week ago, the ECOWAS mediator in the Malian crisis, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, left Bamako without reaching an agreement with the Malian authorities on a timetable for holding elections. Guinea, the sub-regional organization gives a period of one month, ie until April 25, for an “acceptable” timetable for the transition to be presented. ECOWAS warns that the country will face sanctions if this deadline is not respected. Threat of sanctions, also, if the former president of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, is not released from his house arrest in here next Thursday, March 31st. ECOWAS leaders also want the duration of the transition to be reduced. This is currently set at 36 months.