ECOWAS Freezes Assets, Imposes Travel Ban on Guinea Coup Leaders, Calls for Elections in Mali

West Africa’s main regional bloc has imposed sanctions against the military government in Guinea and those slowing Mali’s post-coup transition – its toughest response yet to a run of military takeovers.

The move on Thursday was agreed at an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Accra to respond to last week’s putsch in Guinea and perceived slow progress towards constitutional rule in Mali following a coup last year.

Regional heads of state decided to freeze the financial assets and impose travel bans on Guinea’s military leaders and their relatives, insisting on the release of President Alpha Conde and a short transition.

“In six months elections should be held,” said ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou at a briefing.

The bloc also piled more pressure on Mali’s transitional government, demanding they stick to an agreement to organise elections for February 2022 and present an electoral roadmap by next month, according to the post-summit communique.

Anyone in Mali hindering preparations for the elections faces the same sanctions as those imposed in Guinea, it said.

Leaders who took part in the summit hailed this more hardline stance. West and Central Africa has seen four coups since last year – political upheaval that has intensified concerns about a backslide towards military rule in a resource-rich but poverty-stricken region.

“I welcome the strong actions of the summit to safeguard democracy, peace, security and stability in the subregion,” Senegalese President Macky Sall tweeted.

Coup leaders in Guinea are holding consultations this week with various public figures, groups and business leaders in the country to map a framework for the transition.

Late on Thursday they said they were also expecting a delegation of regional heads of state to visit Conakry for talks on Friday.

Soldiers behind the September 5 coup have said they ousted Conde because of concerns about poverty and corruption, and because he was serving a third term only after altering the constitution to permit it.

ECOWAS already has said it will impose penalties on Guinea’s military rulers unless they immediately release Conde, who has been held at an undisclosed location since the coup.

Meanwhile the putsch in Mali was largely precipitated by a security crisis, which has seen militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State extend their influence across the north and centre of the country.

The new Malian authorities’ pledge to hold presidential and legislative elections early next year has been undermined by their failure to meet various deadlines, including the start of voter roll updates and the presentation of a new constitution.

The transition was dealt a further setback in May when the colonel who led the initial coup, Assimi Goita, ordered the arrest of the interim president and then took over the role himself.

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is ECOWAS chairman, had said in remarks before a closed-door session that he hoped the heads of state will help offer durable solutions to the crisis.

Separately on Thursday, the International Monetary Fund said it was closely monitoring the situation in Guinea and called for a peaceful resolution.

Spokesman Gerry Rice said the global lender had completed fifth and sixth reviews of its programmes in the country in December, and provided assistance to help it to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOURCE

Too long..FTC ...where is my gift ......lala

Ecowas should be proactive. Sanction and ban Presidents who suffer their citizens who dont improve the lives of their citizens.
Dont wait till those citizens react through coup or the likes before you wake up suddenly

Damn Nigger... Isoright.

Even the ECOWAS know that the coup was very necessary. They're just acting up so it doesn't look like they're in support of it.

Hmm..

ok

Nice move

Abokina money dey under mattress not bank.
Waste of time.

This coup should happen in Nigeria

But who's the leader of ECOWAS again?

There would be no coup in the first place if the useless African leaders were up and doing in their administrations nd providing a habitable continent but rather they have been old vultures looting their people dry.

All this generals in Nigeria should please do the needful. 2023 looks just too far.

Which Yeye Ecowas?
They should be hailed as heroes for saving there country.
Ecowas that will stand and support wickedness metted out in citizens and do nothing.
Like Ecowas like Buhari.

Ok

FFK defects or he no defect I no fit vote for APC

yes this is a step forward..the arabs want more of Africa


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwwEKt1EpTI

So ECOWAS are aware of dictatorDemocratic leaders and couldn't freeze their asset?
ECOWAS and Nigeria government are One

Fair enough

why has ecowas not issued sanction on buahri and his terrorist regime


pussy e-cow-ass

Y always Africa

Okay

imagine military regime dominating 90% of West African countries even ECOWAS will rather be discarded or face coup d'etat

when the people more concern, are happy some group of clown are sanctioning.

Very very useless ecowas.when are you going to sanction corrupt president like buhari that keep ignoring ecowas court orders and killing his own people through his actions and inaction

saferoom:
Ecowas should be proactive. Sanction and ban Presidents who suffer their citizens who dont improve the lives of their citizens.
Dont wait till those citizens react through coup or the likes before you wake up suddenly

Very sensible thought from you! There should be a benchmark to ascertain when to punish leaders who take their countries and people for a ride by the ecowas.

Not waiting to be a reactive organization from just one point. There is extreme brain drain in our political systems in Africa especially in Nigeria, because why would a known politicians who wins in a platform A defects to another party in the same dispensation? Isn’t this sheer stupidity and outright fraud of the electoral process?

Fingers crossed