The European Union has disclosed that it has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on about five Malian officials, including senior military commanders who carried out last year’s coup – who are part of junta leader Assimi Goïta’s inner caucus.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the announcement is coming shortly after the military reneged on a promise to hold elections this month, delaying them instead by four years.
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The names of the five were given as:
- Choguel Kokalla Maïga, the transitional prime minister
- Col Malick Diaw, president of the transitional council
- Col Ismaël Wagué, reconciliation minister – and the man who announced the August 2020 coup
- Adama Ben Diarra, also known as ‘Ben le Cerveau’ meaning ‘Ben the Brain’ – a vocal supporter of Russia’s support to Mali
- Ibrahim Ikassa Maïga, a civilian member of the transitional government.
Relations between the EU and Mali has badly detoriated, partly because of the country’s second coup since 2020 and Mali’s decision to employ a Russian security contractors.
European countries including France are considering withdrawing troops serving in a unit which fights Islamist militants.
Last month, the regional bloc Ecowas imposed sanctions on Mali, which include the freezing of the country’s assets in member nations’ commercial banks and the suspension of non-essential financial transactions.
The regional bloc had announced that it will close its borders with Mali and impose sweeping economic sanctions as a response to the delay in holding promised elections which were made by the military after a 2020 coup.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that this was part of the resolution after an extraordinary summit of leaders of the 15-member ECOWAS in Accra, the Ghanaian capital held to discuss a proposal from Mali’s transitional authorities to hold elections in December 2025 instead of next month as originally agreed.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK