The heads of state of the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided at their meeting on Saturday in Abuja to lift the sanctions imposed on Niamey after the military regime took power. A decision that was particularly motivated by “humanitarian reasons”.
Published on: February 25, 2024 – 2:57 p.m
3 mins
Following the decision of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to gather for an extraordinary summit in Abuja on Saturday, February 24, the time has almost come all regulatory and economic sanctions against Niamey are now lifted, apart from the individual and political sanctions that continue to apply.
Specifically, this arbitration will lead to the end of the closure of land and air borders between Niger and the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and ECOWAS, as well as the end of the ban on flights by Niger over the UEMOA zone. and the end of the suspension of all trade transactions between the UEMOA countries and Niger. This decision marks, above all, the end of the freezing of the financial and monetary assets of the State of Niger at the Central Bank of West African States (Bceao), lists our regional correspondent. Serge Daniel.
A political decision for the survival of ECOWAS
The choice of ECOWAS Taking this action this weekend raises questions, especially as there has been talk of calling for the release of Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum before sanctions are lifted. But ECOWAS simply had its back against the wall. The sanctions primarily affect the affected population; They had become unpopular because they were intended to overthrow the junta, which was not the case.
The situation then changed when the… Niger cooperates with Mali and Burkina Faso slamming the door on ECOWAS. A new balance of power has been established and, desiring the return of these countries to the institution, ECOWAS has decided to look “soft” towards Niger and therefore also towards Mali and Burkina Faso.
ECOWAS has risked his survival for this issue : Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara was in favor of appeasement; The Togolese President Faure Gnassimbé openly called for the lifting of sanctions, without forgetting Beninese Patrice Talon, who used this expression during the closed meeting of heads of state in Abuja: “Let us swallow the snake, we must protect the ECOWAS.” of the peoples before the Sanctions. »
The extreme poverty rate in Niger is over 40%
This decision was also made for “humanitarian reasons”, as the sanctions had severely affected this country in the Sahel region, where extreme poverty prevails exceeds 40% according to the World Bank. Henceforth, with the reopening of borders and Nigerian airspace, as well as the approval of financial transactions between ECOWAS countries and Niger, all economic activities will resume.
For Ibrahim Adamou Louche, economist, it is therefore a vice that is loosening around the Nigerian people. “The social costs were undeniably very high and, moreover, there were even deaths as a result of power outages, and there were also interruptions in the supply chain, which led in particular to shortages of medicines.” All of this had undeniable consequences,” he explains at the microphone Christina Okello.
“What will now change is the normalization of relations and thus the gradual resumption of human trafficking, especially between Benin and Niger. This will lead to a resumption of deliveries of goods that have been suspended since the sanctions came into force, which will of course make the everyday life of the Nigerian population much easier. However, the results remain mixed as the reasons for imposing the sanctions were partly not fulfilled by the junta. On the other hand, it was pragmatism, “real politics,” that prevailed in the end: “The stakes were increasing and the pressure from the population was getting stronger,” analyzes the economist.
Also read ECOWAS Meeting in Abuja: Behind the Scenes of the Summit