BAMAKO, Mali
Mali’s coup leader Col. Assimi Goita urged West African leaders to reconsider tough new economic sanctions that went into effect Monday after he announced a plan to delay new elections by four years.
But as most countries in the regional bloc
halted commercial flights to Mali, the embattled nation gained an important
economic lifeline from neighboring Guinea, where a similar military junta
seized power last year. Authorities there announced they would keep their
borders open, providing landlocked Mali with continued access to a sea port.
Goita, who carried out two coups in the span of
nine months, sought to reassure Malians late Monday about the country’s
financial future.
“There is concern about the consequences of
these measures, but I reassure you all that we are taking actions to face this
challenge,” he said in an address on state television.
On Sunday, the West African regional bloc also
announced it was activating the ECOWAS standby military force, hinting at the
threat of military intervention if the junta in Mali continues to defy
international calls for democratic elections.
Goita said Mali’s government remains open to
dialogue with the regional bloc and urged neighboring leaders “to conduct a
thorough analysis of our country’s situation, placing the best interests of the
Malian people above all other considerations.”
The new sanctions also restrict commerce with
Mali but won’t apply to essentials like pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and
equipment to fight COVID-19. Petroleum products and electricity are also
excluded, the regional bloc said.
But all of Mali’s financial assets held in the
regional bloc’s central bank and commercial banks will be blocked. Previous
sanctions had only targeted junta leadership with travel bans and asset
freezes.
Fatoumata Diawara, a 43-year-old business
manager in Bamako, said the government should change its election timeline
given the potential economic fallout.”
“We need money just to work,” she said. “We
cannot work without financial backers.”
Mali’s junta initially had agreed to hold a new
election in late February, 18 months after it first seized power. The military
leadership now says the next presidential election will not take place until
2026, giving Goita four more years in power.
In a statement, regional leaders on Sunday
called this timeframe “totally unacceptable” and said it “simply means that an
illegitimate military transition government will take the Malian people hostage
during the next five years.”
After overthrowing Mali’s democratically
elected president, Goita had promised to swiftly return the country to
democratic rule. Doubts deepened about his intentions, though, after he
effectively launched a second coup nine months later, forcing out the chosen
transitional civilian leaders and becoming president himself.
Mali’s junta maintains that elections can’t be
held because of deepening insecurity across the country, where Islamic
extremists have been fighting a decade-long insurgency. They also say it’s
essential to draft a new constitution and put it before voters in a referendum,
a lengthy endeavor that would pave the way for new local and legislative
elections before any presidential vote.
The French military, which helped push the
militants from power in northern Mali in 2013, is now in the process of
reducing its troop presence in Mali. Many fear their departure will only deepen
the crisis despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers and regional forces
bolstering Malian troops’ efforts.
Critics of the junta fear that the political
turmoil will further undermine the Malian military’s response to Islamic
extremist attacks at a time when they will increasingly be bearing the
responsibility for fighting militants. - AP
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