Mali’s interim Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga on Wednesday said Mali does not respect and will not apply sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Guinea in the wake of last year’s coup, reported The Reuters.
Last week, the 15-member West African political and economic bloc imposed sanctions on Guinea’s ruling junta over its inflexibility on setting a date to organise elections and restore democracy after seizing power last year. It said that the transition government has not made progress towards establishing a transition timeline and organizing elections.
The sanctions include freezing Guinean military junta members’ financial assets and barring them from travelling to other countries in the region. The bloc had imposed even broader sanctions on Mali earlier this year after its ruling junta also postponed organising elections.
“Taking into account the solidarity and fraternity between Mali and Guinea, the transitional government has decided to break away from all illegal, inhumane and illegitimate sanctions imposed on (Guinea) and will take no action on them,” Mali’s government spokesman and interim Prime Minister Maiga said in a statement.
He also said if required Mali would take measures to assist Guinea in order to counteract the effect of the sanctions.
Mali also voiced against the sanctions ECOWAS imposed on it in January, which it said were illegitimate and inhumane. The bloc lifted some of the sanctions in July after Mali’s military leaders proposed a two-year transition to civilian rule and published a new electoral law.
Guinea’s junta leader Mamady Dumbouya proposed a three-year transition to elections in May, which ECOWAS rejected, saying that the three year transition period was unacceptable. The bloc said it wanted to see a new plan by the end of July.
Last week, the regional bloc gave Guinea until Oct. 22 to establish a reasonable timetable, or face additional sanctions.
