ECOWAS agreed on Sunday to restrict Mali’s borders and apply broad economic penalties in reaction to “unacceptable” delays in delivering promised elections following a military coup in 2020.
The decision came after a meeting of the bloc’s leaders to review a request by Mali’s transitional authorities to hold elections in December 2025 rather than next month, as had been agreed upon previously.
ECOWAS said in a statement that the suggested handover timeframe was “completely unacceptable.”
This timeline “simply means that the Malian people will be held prisoner by an illegitimate military transition government,” it stated.
Additional measures, including the closing of members’ land and air borders with Mali, the suspension of non-essential financial activities, and the freeze of Malian state assets in ECOWAS central and commercial banks, were announced by the 15-member bloc.
The Malian authorities provided no quick response.
