Following Sunday’s decision of the leaders of member states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to shut all borders against Mali, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has affirmed the sub-regional body’s commitment to democracy and good governance.
ECOWAS imposed sanctions against Mali’s transitional military leaders after they informed the bloc they would not be able to hold presidential and legislative elections in February.
part from shutting borders, ECOWAS member countries also recalled their ambassadors from Mail as they rejected the junta’s transition table.
Speaking after the Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Accra, Ghana, Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, said: “There is clear evidence international community will no longer accept unconstitutional takeover of government.
“With its latest stand against unconstitutional seizure of power, leaders of member states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have shown strong resolve and commitment to issues of good governance and democracy in the sub-region.”
He said that there is a strong resolve by ECOWAS to stand against coup d’états in the sub-region.
Osinbajo added: “What is being done is unprecedented. In the years gone by, the African Union, then known as OAU and ECOWAS, never came down heavily on Coups de’tats; but there is evidence now that there is a very strong resolve that ECOWAS and, indeed, AU and the international community will not accept unconstitutional takeover of government.”
Continuing, Osinbajo said, “it’s very evident that there is very strong resolve, which is why we are here today. We expect that the actions that will be taken will point the junta in Mali in the right direction.”
“I think ECOWAS has shown that it has not lost its bite where there are concerns about issues of good governance and democratic enterprises in the sub-region, which is why sanctions against Guinea and Mali were imposed.”
A statement issued by the Vice President’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in Abuja on Monday informed that after reviewing the situation in Mali at the Extraordinary Summit, the sub-regional leaders rejected the transition schedule proposed by the Malian military junta, noting that “the proposed chronogram for a transition is totally unacceptable”.
The body also imposed additional sanctions on the junta, including the withdrawal of all ECOWAS Ambassadors in Mali; closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Mali; and
suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS member states and Mali, with the exception of the following products: essential consumer goods; pharmaceutical products; medical supplies and equipment, including materials for the control of COVID-19 products, and electricity
Others are freeze of assets of the Republic of Mali in ECOWAS Central Banks; freeze of assets of the Malian State and the State Enterprises and Parastatals in Commercial Banks; and suspension of Mali from all financial assistance and transactions from financial institutions.
The summit’s communique also said that the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government “instructs all Community institutions to take steps to implement these sanctions with immediate effect.”
Noting that the sanctions will only be gradually lifted “after an acceptable and agreed transition chronogram is finalised and monitored-satisfactory progress is realised in the implementation of the chronogram for the elections.”