West Africa's main regional bloc will close borders with Mali and impose stringent economic sanctions in response to an "unacceptable" delay by the country in holding promised elections after a 2020 military coup, the organisation says. The move by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a significant hardening of its stance on Mali, whose interim authorities have proposed holding elections in December 2025 instead of this February as originally agreed. This schedule "simply means that an illegitimate military transition government will take the Malian people hostage," it said. The 15-member bloc said it had agreed to impose additional sanctions with immediate effect. Under previous sanctions, Mali's ECOWAS membership is suspended and members of the transitional authority and their relatives are subject to travel bans and asset freezes.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 09, 2022 19:55 UTC