THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has resolved to lift some sanctions on Niger Republic, Mali, and Guinea.
The resolution was taken at the extraordinary summit on the peace, political, and security situation in the ECOWAS sub-region in Abuja on Saturday.
While the regional bloc said the political and targeted sanctions on Niger Republic remain, it lifted some financial and economic sanctions on Guinea and some targeted sanctions on Mali.
Announcing the Authority’s resolutions, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, said it has suspended the closure of the land and air border to Niger, a no-fly zone of all commercial flights.
It has also suspended the freezing of all financial transactions between ECOWAS states and Niger, including transactions relating to the bloc’s central bank and the unfreezing of all of Niger’s assets at EBID.
It also lifted the travel ban on members of the military junta and their families.
Touray said the move is “based on humanitarian considerations due to lent and the approaching month of Ramadan.”
The authority also lifted sanctions on the election of Mali citizens to ECOWAS positions.
It also lifted sanctions on Guinea, inviting all four countries to attend technical consultative meetings of ECOWAS going forward.
ECOWAS also asked its withdrawing member states to reconsider their decision in view of the benefits enjoyed by their citizens.
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