Mali’s ruling junta said it “strongly” condemned “illegal”
sanctions imposed on the country by the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS).
In a statement read on national television Monday, the
military regime’s spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga announced the recall of
Bamako’s ambassadors to the West African nations involved and the closure of
air and land borders with them.
ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union
(UEMOA) on Sunday imposed a range of economic and diplomatic measures against
Mali, including border closures and a trade embargo, saying the junta’s
intention to remain in power for several more years was “totally unacceptable”.
The meeting in Ghana of regional leaders followed months of
increasing tensions over the timetable for restoring civilian rule in Mali
after two coups and a military takeover.
“The government of Mali strongly condemns these illegal and
illegitimate sanctions,” said the junta’s statement.
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It accused ECOWAS and UEMOA of being “exploited by
extra-regional powers with ulterior motives,” an apparent reference to Mali’s
partners engaged militarily in the Sahel such as France, which has thousands of
troops battling a jihadist insurgency.
The junta said it “deplores the inhuman nature of these
measures which affect populations already severely affected by the security
crisis and the health crisis.”
Faced with the West African embargo, the junta said it had
made arrangements to ensure normal supplies “by all appropriate means” and
called on the population to remain calm.
AFP
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