The Court of Justice of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) decided on Thursday to suspend the economic sanctions imposed on Mali on January 9 by the Heads of State of the UEMOA, during the summit of 'Accra.
The Malian authorities can be exultant: following an appeal by Mali to the Court of Justice of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA),Tunisia online sales site in the month of February, the court decided this Thursday to suspend the economic sanctions imposed against Bamako. A decision which will mainly concern Mali's access to its sovereign wealth funds at the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) and the right of the Malian State to dispose of them.
Six lawyers representing Mali had lodged a complaint with the West African Court, highlighting the illegality of the sanctions, while the statutes of the BCEAO stipulate that "the Central Bank, its organs, any member of its organs or its staff may not seek or receive directives or instructions from community institutions or bodies, from the governments of WAEMU member states, from any other organization or from any other person”.
On March 24, a press release from the WAEMU Court of Justice announced: "We declare the request for a stay of execution introduced by the State of Mali admissible in form, order a stay of execution of the penalties imposed by the Conference of Heads of State and Government of UEMOA during its extraordinary session held in Accra on January 9, 2022 and appearing in its final communiqué". Meaning that the Court suspends the economic sanctions against Mali, pending a ruling on the merits.
A victory still uncertain for Bamako therefore, but very symbolic, on the eve of the Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Accra this Friday.
A joker for the March 25 summit
Indeed, the UEMOA Heads of State had imposed their own sanctions, in addition to the diplomatic sanctions of ECOWAS.
With the suspension of economic sanctions, Assimi Goïta and his government will therefore have a card to play at the summit this Friday, which will bring together the heads of state of the 15 ECOWAS countries.
The transitional president and head of the junta in Mali, Assimi Goïta, had been invited to take part in this new summit. However, he declared that it was impossible for him to move, and that he could only participate by videoconference. Goïta was however inclined to send four of his ministers to represent him: Abdoulaye Diop, Abdoulaye Maïga, Fatoumata Dicko and Ibrahim Maïga.
Informed then that the meeting would be held behind closed doors, between heads of state, Goïta finally decided not to send a delegation, but the possibility of remote participation is mentioned.
The decision of the UEMOA Court will undoubtedly weigh on the continuation of the discussions between ECOWAS and Mali. It is also an acknowledgment of failure for the sub-regional bodies: several countries in the West African region have lost out by imposing these sanctions. The first is undoubtedly Senegal, whose transport of goods to Bamako suffers from the embargo on Mali. But also the Ivory Coast. And if Alassane Ouattara and Macky Sall represent two rival wings within ECOWAS, the Malian file could well be moderated by the losses recorded by the suspension of relations with Mali.
Towards a definitive lifting of sanctions on Mali?
Be that as it may, the president of Malian lawyers and member of the collective representing Bamako before the UEMOA Court of Justice assures that another appeal aims to have the economic sanctions against Bamako canceled definitively. "The first appeal seeks to obtain from the WAEMU Court of Justice, located in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, the annulment of the above-mentioned decisions", he declared to the Anadolu agency.
However, the suspension of the sanctions remains, in the eyes of the Malian authorities, a victory which will have to appeal to others. "On the eve of the March 25 summit, this order puts the Malian regime in a position of strength against the heads of state of ECOWAS," said a diplomat in Bamako.
However, it seems that a future lifting of the sanctions imposed on Mali is above all a matter of common economic interest. The Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aïssata Tall Sall, declared: "We belong to a sub-regional organization whose space also covers Mali, there is a continuum between our territories: the port of Mali is Dakar, largely. Like many ECOWAS member states, we lose a lot by applying these sanctions. We hope that the situation will be regularized in Bamako, and this can be done through dialogue between ECOWAS and the transitional authorities”.