The West African bloc has imposed sanctions on ECOWAS Mali after delaying interrogation Election News

Regional organizations to close borders with Mali and impose economic sanctions after coup leaders postpone voting.

West Africa’s main regional bloc will close its borders with Mali and impose heavy economic sanctions in response to delays in holding elections scheduled for a 2020 military coup, the bloc said.

He continued on Sunday’s announcement extraordinary peak Leaders of the 15-member Accra Commonwealth of Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) in the Ghanaian capital Accra are discussing a proposal to hold elections in Mali by the transitional authorities in December 2025, rather than as initially agreed next month.

In a statement, ECOWAS said the proposed timetable for the transition was completely unacceptable.

This schedule “means that an illegal transitional military government will take the people of Mali hostage,” he said.

The 15-member bloc agreed to impose additional sanctions with immediate effect, including closing its members’ land and air borders with Mali, suspending non-essential financial transactions and freezing ECOWAS’s central and Mali’s state assets. commercial banks.

Meanwhile, the UEMOA regional monetary union has ordered all financial institutions under its umbrella to suspend Mali immediately, cutting off the country’s access to the region’s financial markets.

The Malian authorities had no immediate response.

In August 2020, army officers led by Colonel Assimi Goita flipped President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was chosen as one of the street protests against his unpopular government.

Under threat of punishment, Goita promised to restore civilian government in February 2022 after holding presidential and legislative elections.

But he acted de facto second blow In May 2021, he ousted a caretaker civilian government.

The movement disrupted the reform calendar and received it with widespread diplomatic condemnation.

ECOWAS stressed that Mali would hold elections in February.

But the government said it would only implement it after an election date national conference – arguing for a peaceful vote was more important than speed.

On December 30, after the end of the reform conference in Mali, the government proposed a transition period of six months. five years, As of January 1, 2022.

But Goodluck mediator Jonathan ECOWAS asked the military government to review the plan during a visit last week, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said.

On Saturday, military officials unveiled a new proposed calendar, Mali state television reported.

The move was “to maintain a good dialogue and cooperation with ECOWAS,” Foreign Minister Diop said, without giving details.

“Mali’s counter-proposal is a four-year transition. It’s a joke, ”said a senior Ghanaian in the ECOWAS chair.

Returning to civilian authority has jeopardized the bloc’s credibility as it seeks to uphold the basic principles of governance and maintain regional instability.

Parts of Mali are out of state control as the government struggles to stop the armed uprising that has been going on since 2012.

ECOWAS responded to the first coup in 2020 by closing Mali’s borders, imposing trade restrictions and removing the country from its decision-making bodies.

The Malian army set up a civilian-led government in response, and pledged to hold elections, which suspended the previous economic sanctions, although Mali remains hanging from the main organs of the bloc.

ECOWAS did not impose sanctions after the second coup, but in November chose specific measures against individual members of the army due to delays in election preparations.