Mali on Tuesday (September 6th) asked Lomé for the lifting of sanctions imposed by African organizations after two military coups in two years, citing the progress made by the junta towards a return of civilians to power.
"
One of the major priorities of the transitional government remains the organization of free, transparent and credible elections with a view to the return to a peaceful and secure constitutional order within 24 months
" from March 2022, declared the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, in front of a group created by the African Union on Mali in 2020, after the first putsch of the colonels.
The date of a return of civilians to power in this country plagued by jihadist pressure and a serious security and political crisis has given rise since the first coup in August 2020 to two years of confrontation between Mali and on the one hand and its West African neighbors and part of the international community on the other.
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The African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Mali for the first time after the 2020 putsch, then again after a second coup reinforcing the stranglehold of the colonels in May 2021. Tensions eased when the military pledged under pressure to hold elections in February 2024. ECOWAS then lifted severe financial and trade sanctions imposed in January 2022.
But Mali's suspension from African organizations remained in effect, as did individual sanctions taken by ECOWAS at the end of 2021 against some 150 members of the junta.
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The undeniable progress (made by the Malian government) as well as its commitment and its manifest determination to continue this positive dynamic undoubtedly plead for a favorable examination of our request in favor of the lifting of the measure of suspension of my country from the authorities of the “Continental Organization
” (the AU), estimated Mr. Diop.
As for ECOWAS, he welcomed a "
progressive normalization
" while qualifying the sanctions still in force as "
impediments
".
"
The government of Mali requests the lifting of these measures in order to promote full cooperation with all partners
," he told the Mali transition monitoring and support group.