West African leaders lift sanctions against Mali and Burkina Faso

West African Partnership ECOWAS lifts economic and financial sanctions on Mali and Burkina Faso. ECOWAS leaders agreed at a summit in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to maintain sanctions against Guinea.

Sanctions were imposed on the three countries last year because the military ousted the government. For example, part of the sanctions was that other ECOWAS members were not allowed to trade with the three countries. Bank deposits have also been frozen.

ECOWAS is now accepting proposals from the military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso to restore democratic order. Mali promises to hold presidential elections by March 2024, and democratic elections should be held in Burkina Faso within two years, that is, before the summer of 2024.

Ivorian ECOWAS President Jean-Claude Casey Brou told a news conference that leaders in Accra had long discussed lifting the sanctions. Burkina Faso and Mali will remain suspended as members for the time being.

The same goes for Guinea. Moreover, sanctions against this country are still in force because ECOWAS does not agree to a proposal by the junta to restore democratic order within three years.