On Thursday, the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Thursday that the Union may impose sanctions on Mali after the military postponed elections. The move supplements the measures already taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The European Union (EU) says it will impose sanctions on Mali in line with measures already taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) grouping of West African states. | 🔗https://t.co/UMa3Sm4nCp#ChannelAfrica pic.twitter.com/ReqFnx4Lfd
— Channel Africa (@channelafrica1) January 14, 2022
After a meeting of EU defence ministers in the western French city of Brest, Borrell said, “The risk that the situation in this country deteriorates is evident,” adding, “We want to stay engaged in Mali, we want to stay engaged in the Sahel, but that should not be done at any cost.”
Furthermore, Borrell said the Union’s move also comes in response to the arrival of private military contractors from the Russian Wagner Group - the majority of whose members are ex-service personnel.
Speaking along with Borrell, the French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said, “The new sanctions regime was agreed, and these discussions will now continue,” adding, “Our commitment only makes sense if it stays within the framework we agreed on three years ago.”
Joining 15 other nations operating in Mali, thousands of French troops have been deployed in the Sahel region to fight Islamist militants. In December, the bloc of 27 member states condemned Russia’s Wagner group and established a new sanctions regime for Mali to target the junta.
Germany, which has deployed thousands of troops in Mali, said they would examine if the military mission achieved its goal. German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said, “When we are told that the elections are being postponed for five years, things are clearly not moving in the right direction.” Lambrecht also stated that she is expecting further progress and a solution to the Wagner problem in Mali.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, urged Mali’s interim authorities to announce an election timeline after the latter suggested staying in power for the next five years before conducting democratic elections. “I am working with the ECOWAS and the African Union to create conditions that can allow the government of Mali to adopt a reasonable and acceptable position to accelerate a transition, which has already been under way for a long time,” Guterres added.
Earlier on Sunday, ECOWAS agreed to impose a series of sanctions on Mali, including suspending financial transactions, severing diplomatic ties and closing the border with Mali over the interim government’s failure to conduct democratic elections next month as agreed after the 2020 military coup.
ECOWAS imposes tougher sanctions on #Mali after the ruling junta’s fails to respect the agreed timetable for a return to civilian rule.
— African Business Magazine (@AfricanBizMag) January 14, 2022
The new calendar would be tantamount to ‘taking the Malian people hostage for five years,’ ECOWAS said. https://t.co/zXWxI9P9oe pic.twitter.com/tSdqPvLKUU
France, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said consultations are underway between France and its European partners to discuss how to proceed and whom to sanction. Decisions are expected to come by the end of this month.