All economic and commercial sanctions against the Republic of Niger have been lifted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The nation overthrew Mohammed Bazoum, its democratically elected leader, last year, drawing harsh criticism from the ECOWAS, which had vowed to tolerate no more changes to the constitution.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have already declared their intention to leave the regional bloc due to harsh sanctions.
However, during an extraordinary summit held today, February 24, in Abuja, Nigeria, ECOWAS announced that it was lifting all sanctions against Niger with the expectation that the bloc’s established protocols for free movement would not alter.
Omar Alieu Touray, the president of the ECOWAS commission, called on the three junta-led countries that have left the bloc to reverse their decision, explaining at a press conference that the decision is intended to address existential threats facing the region.
Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria and the head of the ECOWAS heads of state, emphasized that leaders in the subregion must reconsider how they approach constitutional order in light of the existential threats facing their region.
