Mali is facing increasing isolation after the West African bloc ECOWAS imposed new sanctions, including border closures, a trade embargo and a freeze on state assets, over delays in restoring civilian rule.
Experts argue the measures may inflict significant damage to the Sahel state, which is already mired in poverty and fighting a jihadist insurgency.
What are the sanctions?
On Sunday, the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) slapped economic and diplomatic sanctions on Mali for its ruling military’s failure to organise swift elections.
Mali’s army initially promised to stage elections in February 2022, after staging a coup in August 2020.
But in December, it suggested staying in power for up to an additional five years, citing security concerns.
Mali has been struggling to contain a brutal jihadist insurgency that first emerged in 2012, before spreading to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
But the proposed elections delay angered Mali’s…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
