Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have rejected the five-year transition plan of the Mali Transition Authority.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Claude Kassi Brou, speaking at extraordinary session of ECOWAS Heads of State held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City today 9th January 2022, revealed that the Community completely disapproves of the proposed chronogram of the Malian transition team.
ECOWAS has demanded that the military junta sticks to the original plan agreed upon on the 15th of September 2020, or propose a more acceptable chronogram for transitioning to democratic rule in Mali.
“The Authority finds the proposed chronogram for a transition totally unacceptable.
“This chronogram simply means that an illegitimate military transition government will take the Malian people hostage during the next five years,” the communique read.
“The Authority reiterates its call for the transition authorities to focus on activities geared towards an expeditious return to constitutional order and to defer key reforms to legitimate elected institutions to be established after the elections,” ECOWAS leaders noted in their communique.
The Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State also announced that all previous sanctions imposed on Mali are maintained and in addition, all ECOWAS ambassadors are to be withdrawn from Mali with immediate effect, as well as all air and land borders of ECOWAS member states closed to Mali, among other sanctions.
“In view of the above, the Authority decides to uphold the initial sanctions already imposed on Mali and on the transition authorities”.
“The Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State as part of their deliberations also decides to impose additional economic and financial sanctions, in conformity with its deliberations at the Sixtieth Ordinary Session held on 12 December 2021 in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“These additional sanctions include:
a) Withdrawal of all ECOWAS Ambassadors in Mali;
b) Closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Mali;
c)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; petroleum products and electricity;
d) Freeze of assets of the Republic of Mali in ECOWAS Central Banks;
e) Freeze of assets of the Malian state and the state enterprises and parastatals in Commercial Banks;
f) Suspension of Mali from all financial assistance and transactions from all financial institutions”.
“The Authority instructs all Community institutions to take steps to implement these sanctions which will be implemented with immediate effect”.
“The sanctions will be gradually lifted only after an acceptable and agreed chronogram is finalised and monitored satisfactory progress is realised in the implementation of the chronogram for the elections,” the communique indicated.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
