The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) lifted all economic sanctions on Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso with immediate effect on Saturday.
The decision came after extensive deliberations by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government during an extraordinary summit on the region’s political, peace, and security situation held at the State House in Abuja.
Dr. Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, announced the Authority’s resolutions, which include the suspension of the closure of land and air borders to Niger and the lifting of the no-fly zone for all commercial flights.
Additionally, ECOWAS suspended the freezing of all financial transactions between member states and Niger, including transactions involving the bloc’s central bank. Assets frozen at the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) were also unfrozen. Furthermore, the travel ban on members of the military junta and their families was lifted.
Touray stated that these actions were taken “based on humanitarian considerations due to lent and the approaching month of Ramadan.”
The authority also lifted sanctions on the eligibility of Malian citizens for ECOWAS positions and extended an invitation to Guinea, along with the other countries, to participate in technical consultative meetings of ECOWAS in the future.
ECOWAS urged the withdrawing member states to reconsider their decision in light of the benefits enjoyed by their citizens.