ECOWAS lifts economic sanctions against Niger and announces the reopening of borders and flights over the country with immediate effect

Ouagadougou: ECOWAS lifted on Saturday, with immediate effect, the heavy sanctions on Niger, taken in July 2023 after a coup d'état. The lifting of sanctions took place during an extraordinary summit in Abuja, Nigeria, bringing together ECOWAS heads of state. It also comes less than a month after the decisions of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to leave the body with immediate effect. As a reminder, a week after the putsch of July 23, ECOWAS took a battery of sanctions against Niger, to demand the return of President Mohamed Bazoum to business under penalty of armed intervention. It was about: 1. Closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Niger; 2. Establishment of the ECOWAS no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger; 3. Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger; 4. Freezing of all service transactions, including public services; 5. Freezing of the assets of the Republic of Niger in the ECOWAS Central Banks; 6. Freezin g of assets of the State of Niger and State Enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks; 7. Suspension of Niger from all financial aid and transactions with all financial institutions, in particular the EBID and the BOAD; 8. Travel ban and asset freeze for military officials involved in the coup attempt. The same goes for their family members and civilians who agree to participate in any institution or government established by these military officials; 9. Calls on UEMOA and all other regional bodies to implement this decision. Source: Burkina Information Agency