In a direct tweet wednesday, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu orders the reopening of borders with Niger republic:
“Today, I have directed the opening of Nigeria’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger and the lifting of other sanctions against Niger Republic with immediate effect in compliance with the decisions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja where we had agreed to lift economic sanctions against the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. I have also directed that the following sanctions imposed on the Republic of Niger be lifted immediately:
(1) Closure of land and air borders between Nigeria and Niger Republic, as well as ECOWAS no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger Republic.
(2) Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between Nigeria and Niger, as well as freeze of all service transactions, including utility services and electricity to Niger Republic.
(3) Freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks and freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger, state enterprises, and parastatals in commercial banks.
(4) Suspension of Niger from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID and BOAD.
(5) Travel bans on government officials and their family members.
In addition to the above, I have also approved the lifting of financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea.”
Tinubu’s directive came just days after the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government lifted economic and travel sanctions on Niger, Mali, and Guinea.
Sanctions and Regional Responses
Earlier in August last year, ECOWAS, under Tinubu’s leadership, sanctioned Niger after a coup ousted President-elect Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023. Despite these sanctions, the Niger junta refused to release Bazoum or reinstate constitutional democracy, forming a new regional body with Mali and Guinea, challenging ECOWAS’s demands for constitutional order restoration.
Subsequently, ECOWAS intensified its stance with a one-week ultimatum for constitutional order restoration and suspended financial transactions, including freezing all service transactions with Niger. This move led to Nigeria cutting off electricity supply to Niger, confirmed by Nigeria’s power sector sources and reported by the AFP, showcasing ECOWAS’s firm approach to the crisis.
However, on February 24, ECOWAS lifted the sanctions based on humanitarian considerations for Lent and Ramadan, as announced by Dr Omar Touray. Despite lifting economic and service sanctions, ECOWAS maintained political and targeted sanctions, signaling a nuanced approach to restoring regional stability. Following President Tinubu’s directive, Nigeria reopened borders with Niger and restored electricity, reflecting ECOWAS’s evolving strategy towards Niger and emphasizing Nigeria’s pivotal role in regional diplomacy and support.
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