Transition
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Closure of borders, trade embargo: to bend the military junta which clings to power, the West African economic community sanctions the country. A risky strategy and criticized by the population.
It is a slap that rings painfully in Bamako’s ears. On Sunday January 9, the heads of state of the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) decided to apply vigorous economic sanctions against the Malian junta in power. It is accused of not having respected the commitments made to regional and international partners, in particular in the organization of democratic elections.
This is the eighth time that this sub-regional authority has met on the subject of Mali since the coup d’état of August 18, 2020 and the overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Already in December 2021, it had taken action against 150 members of the Malian transitional government, freezing their assets and depriving them of travel to countries in the region. Sunday evening in Accra, capital of Ghana, the heads of state of ECOWAS toughened the sanctions regime, isolating Mali from its neighbors.
The Malian people “taken hostage”
The range of repressive measures is wide: closure of land and air borders between…