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sanctions 13 January 2022

Spotlight on Wagner Group as ECOWAS imposes sanctions on Mali

In a communique of 9 January, the Economic Community of West African States (‘ECOWAS’) announced that on account of ‘the failure of the Transition authorities in Mali to take necessary steps for the organisation of the Presidential elections before 27 February 2022 and contrary to the agreement reached with ECOWAS Authority on 15 September 2020,’ and ‘the obvious and blatant lack of political will from the Transition authorities that led to the absence of any tangible progress in the preparations for the elections, despite the willingness of ECOWAS and all regional and international partners [to provide support,’ it is ‘upholding’ existing sanctions against the country, and imposing additional measures which include: ‘

  • Closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Mali;
  • Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Mali, with the exception of food products, pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and equipment, including materials for the control of COVID-19, petroleum products and electricity;
  • Freeze of assets of the Republic of Mali in ECOWAS Central Banks;
  • Freeze of assets of the Malian State and the State Enterprises and Parastatals in Commercial Banks, and
  • Suspension of Mali from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly, EBID [ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development] and BOAD [the West African Development Bank].’

The Malian authorities have announced that they intend to hold elections four years later than agreed with ECOWAS. They have condemned the sanctions, which they have described as a ‘flagrant violation’ of ECOWAS’ ‘founding texts’.

There is disagreement amongst global powers as how best to respond to the governance challenge in Mali. At a UN Security Council meeting of 11 January, the French representative to the United Nations said France regretted the Malian transitional authorities’ ‘use of public funds to pay foreign mercenaries, such as the [recently OFAC- and EU-designated] Wagner Group which threatens civilians, pillages resources and violates international law’ and called for a ‘credible timeline for elections, to implement the peace agreement and frame a strategy to stabilize the central region.’

At the same meeting, the Russian representative described criticisms aimed at the Wagner Group as ‘hysteria’, while the representative for Mali said [according to UN reports of the meeting] that, while there was ‘no mercenary on Malian soil…thanks to State-to-State cooperation, Russian trainers and instructors are in Mali to train Malian soldiers in the use of equipment acquired by Mali from the Russian Federation.’

https://www.ecowas.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Final-Communique-on-Summit-on-Mali-Eng-080122.pdf