The ECOWAS Court of Justice, West Africa’s top court, on December 7, 2023, rejected a request by the junta of Niger for the lifting of sanctions imposed following the July coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The court ruled that the junta, being a result of an unconstitutional change of government, lacks the legitimacy and authority to make such a request.
The sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) included closing borders with Niger, suspending financial transactions, and freezing the nation’s assets. Additionally, Nigeria cut off power supply to Niger, which previously accounted for 70% of the country’s electricity.
Niger’s junta approached the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja, arguing that the sanctions were causing severe hardships for its citizens, including limiting access to food and medicine. They sought a provisional halt to these sanctions pending a final judgment on the matter.
ECOWAS’s conditions for considering lifting the sanctions is the unconditional release and reinstatement of the deposed President Bazoum
However, Justice Dupe Atoki, in delivering the court’s ruling, declared the junta’s actions as an unconstitutional change of government and stated that it is not recognized as a member state of the regional bloc. Consequently, any requests made by this unrecognized government were deemed inadmissible.
The situation in Niger remains complex. The junta, which has already appointed a prime minister, proposed a three-year timeline to return power to civilians, a plan that ECOWAS has rejected. The continued detention of the deposed president, Bazoum, by the junta, and ECOWAS’s demand for his unconditional release and reinstatement, further complicate the prospects of resolving the political crisis in the country. This ruling by the ECOWAS Court of Justice adds another layer to the ongoing political turmoil in Niger and the broader West African region.
The developments in Niger were being closely monitored, especially with the visit of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, who has emerged as a mediator in the crisis. He was in Niger ahead of a scheduled ECOWAS summit in Abuja, set to discuss the situation in Niger along with other political crises in West Africa.
