The court of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) on Thursday ordered the suspension of sanctions against Mali, which were imposed in January after the ruling military junta delayed elections, reported Reuters.
“It is a suspension measure pending a detailed ruling of the court,” the UEMOA spokesperson Aminata Mbodj said.
It currently remains unclear whether UEMOA would follow the court’s decision.
In January, the UEMOA had instructed all financial institutions under its umbrella to suspend Mali’s membership after the military junta decided to postpone national elections intended to restore democratic rule in the country after coups in 2020 and 2021.
The 2020 coup, which ousted former Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was followed by a second one in May last year.
Mali was hit with the strictest sanctions after its military junta went back on an agreement to organize elections this month and instead proposed holding power until 2025.
Last month, Malian authorities called for the sanctions to be lifted and filed a legal complaint with the UEMOA court, saying they would have severe consequences for the population. They said the sanctions were a violation of procedure, describing the measures as “disproportionate, inhumane, illegitimate and illegal”.
The measures were imposed in conjunction with sanctions by the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which froze Malian state assets, closed its borders, and suspended non-essential financial transactions.
In February, the European Union also imposed sanctions on five members of Mali’s ruling junta, including Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga and four other members of interim president Assimi Goita’s inner circle.
ECOWAS heads of state are scheduled to meet on Friday in Ghana to discuss the post-coup situation in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
There had been recent coups in two other African countries- Guinea and Burkina Faso. ECOWAS also imposed financial sanctions on Guinea’s coup leaders but stopped short in Burkina Faso where it said the military junta was willing to work towards a return to constitutional order.
