Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The Economic Community of West African States has lifted economic sanctions on Niger, Mali and Burkina-Faso with immediate effect.
The decision was made the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at an extraordinary summit on the political, peace, and security situation in the region at the State House, Abuja on Saturday.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, announced the Authority’s resolutions, after the meeting.
Touray said the ECOWAS Commission had lifted the closure of the land and air border to Niger, a no-fly zone of all commercial flights.
Also suspended is 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.
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.
The subregional bloc 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.
