The leaders of West African states, meeting in an extraordinary summit on September 22, 2022 in New York, imposed “gradual penalties” against the junta that rules Guinea faced with the inflexibility of the military on a date for the return of civilians to power.
The leaders of the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS, 15 member countries) locked themselves behind closed doors for several hours in a New York hotel, on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the UN, in a tense climate between some of its members.
According to the press release resulting from their meeting, Guinea is the subject of “gradual sanctions at the diplomatic, economic and financial level”. These penalties include “call back for consultations” ambassadors of member states of the sub-regional organization, but above all “the suspension of all assistance and financial transactions in favor of Guinea by financial institutions” of ECOWAS as well as sanctions “targeted against persons and groups of persons” appearing on an already established list.
ECOWAS leaders threatened Guinean authorities “severe penalties” if they did not accept “in a period of one month, starting September 22, 2022, a transition period within reason”. ECOWAS recommends a duration of 24 months against that of 36 months wanted by the Guinean junta.
The New York summit was preceded by invectives from the Guinean junta. She virulently denigrated, on September 22, a summit very far from Africa and criticized the current president of ECOWAS, the Bissau-Guinean Umaro Sissoco Embalo. The latter had warned the day before that Guinea was going to the front “heavy penalties” if the junta persisted in wanting to stay in power for three years.
West Africa has seen a succession of coups by colonels and lieutenant-colonels in less than two years: putsch on August 18, 2020 in Mali, followed by another completing the first on May 24, 2021, putsch on September 5, 2021 in Guinea and putsch again on January 24, 2022 in Burkina Faso.
Alarmed by the risk of contagion in a vulnerable region, thein ECOWAS multiplies summits, mediations and pressures to shorten the so-called transition periods before a return of civilians to the leadership of their country. She is confronted with authorities who do not intend to let go of the orders anytime soon.
The new rulers in uniform invoke the seriousness of the crises they face, security in Mali and Burkina, social and political in the three countries. They want to have the time necessary for what they present as their business of “refoundation” of their State, and the organization of credible elections.
ECOWAS imposed a severe commercial and financial embargo on Mali in January. The junta led by Colonel Assimi Goïta has since pledged under pressure to hold elections in February 2024, and ECOWAS has lifted the embargo.
The Guinean junta had been among the few to show solidarity with Mali in the face of sanctions, and had kept the borders open. Its leader, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, took part on September 22 alongside his Malian counterpart, Colonel Assimi Goïta, in the celebrations of the 62nd anniversary of Mali’s independence. It was his first outing since taking power in September 2021.