The socio-professional organizations of civil society and the private sector reject the sanctions taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against Mali after the coup d’état against its president IBK. « These are sanctions that are unintelligent, inappropriate, dangerous. They are illegal, » said Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, Director of the African Center for Trade, Integration and Development (Cacid), on the sidelines of a press conference he held yesterday at Enda headquarters with Ms. Khady Fall, President of the Association of Women of West Africa/Senegal (Afao/Senegal).
Referring to the Asti 1201 protocol on good governance, Dr. Dièye emphasized that in the protocol brandished by ECOWAS, it is said that « in case of a coup d’état, we suspend the country from the authorities, we do not organize elections in this country. And when this country has candidates in international institutions, we do not support them. « They have gone beyond the sanctions, » said Dr. Dièye, who maintains that « when we sanction economically and commercially, we do not sanction those who have taken power, we sanction the Malian people. « As soon as this communiqué was published with these sanctions, we began to act by contacting the heads of state, especially President Macky Sall, on the eve of the ECOWAS summit to tell him to apply the sanctions, » says Dr. Dièye, who recalls that President Macky Sall has asked that the sanctions be adjusted.
For Ms. Khady Fall, President of Afao-Senegal, the fact that Côte d’Ivoire is in the antechamber of the situation experienced by Mali explains why its President insisted that these sanctions be taken against Mali. According to Dr. Dièye, closing the Dakar-Mali corridor would mean closing Senegalese factories whose products are sold in the sub-region, particularly in Mali.
Speaking of the involvement of France, Dr. Dièye said that « if we do not see it acting directly, it is understandable. « A France too present in the conflict would have exacerbated the crisis, » said the director of Cacid, who stressed that « you have to be naive to think that France has stayed in its corner. It doesn’t matter what France does, it doesn’t matter what ECOWAS wants to do, the most important thing is that the Malian people will decide their fate.