France and the European Union support the “unprecedented sanctionstaken on Sunday by West African leaders against the ruling junta in Mali, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, January 11, hinting at new European sanctions.
Read alsoMali: West African leaders harshly sanction the maintenance of the junta in power
“We support” the “very clear and firm positiontaken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), “which marks the deep condemnation of the abuses of the military junta that France had repeatedly denounced“, declared the French head of state. “We are totally in solidarity with the region and with the very courageous and clear position that was expressed on Sunday“, he insisted during a press conference with the President of the European Council Charles Michel at the Élysée.
Possible European sanctions
Emmanuel Macron clarified that the Europeans were preparing to strengthen their sanctions in turn. EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss it at their informal meeting scheduled in Brest, western France, this week. And “by the end of the month there will be a formal meeting so that the EU and all the countries that make it up can support this decision with sanctions“, according to him.
Meeting in Accra on Sunday, West African leaders decided to close the borders with Mali and put the country under embargo, which sparked a strong reaction on Monday from the military in power in Bamako, who recalled their ambassadors. These measures sanction in particular the broken promise of the colonels to organize presidential and legislative elections on February 27. Since the first putsch of August 2020, reinforced by that of May 2021 enthroning Colonel Assimi Goïta as president of “transition», ECOWAS is pushing for the return of civilians as soon as possible.
The junta on Tuesday called on Malians to demonstrate against these sanctions on Friday, while saying it was open to dialogue. In addition, the Malian situation must be discussed Tuesday at a regular meeting of the UN Security Council. Emmanuel Macron insisted on “unprecedented cooperationof EU countries with Sahelian countries and the international community to fight against jihadist groups active in the vast desert region. “We will continue” at “Europeanize our approach» and to the «regionalize“, which will be confirmed by “decisions for the next few weeks“, he said. The French president had canceled in December the trip he was to make to Mali to meet the president of the transition and celebrate Christmas with the French troops, officially advancing the Covid-19 crisis.
Read alsoMali: the junta proposes a new timetable to return power to civilians
After nearly nine years of presence in the Sahel, France undertook in June to reorganize its military posture by leaving its three most northern bases in Mali (Tessalit, Kidal and Timbuktu) to refocus around Gao and Ménaka, on the borders of Niger and Burkina Faso. This plan provides for a reduction in the workforce, from 5,000 currently, to 2,500/3,000 by 2023. At the same time, Paris has sought to dissuade Bamako from calling on the services of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, considered close to the Kremlin, which Moscow denies. . More and more Russian instructors have been deployed in recent weeks, particularly in Timbuktu, according to Malian military officials.