ECOWAS has teeth to bite!
The angry reaction from the military junta in Mali and the massive demonstration at its capital in response to the sanctions imposed on the country indicates the severity of the decision by ECOWAS to force the military regime to comply with its directives.
There are four major policy goals every sanction is intended to accomplish.
Advertisement
One is to force the target state to alter its behavior to conform to the initiator’s preference.
The other is to remove the target state’s leaders or overthrow its regime.
Next is to persuade the target country from repeating the disputed action in future. The last goal is symbolic.
It focuses on the message that the sanction sends to the international community.
Sanctions
Definitely, ECOWAS has one or more of the above goals in mind when it instituted the sanctions against Mali.
Most of the member countries of ECOWAS are very well aware of the inherent challenges the sub-regional body is saddled with.
Because of that it is very easy for some to take advantage of the situation and act contrary to principles agreed upon with impunity.
Article 2(7) of the UN Charter which proclaims that, ”nothing should authorize intervention in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states” comes in handy to those states whose leaders want to misbehave.
ECOWAS action against Mali is just an extension of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle adopted by UN at its World Summit in 2005 in New York to address the lacuna in article 2(7) of the UN Charter.
The R2P holds that, outside intervention in the affairs of any state can be possible if it is done on behalf of citizens who have become victims of abusive actions of state leaders.
Right
Malian citizens deserve the right to be governed by people of their own choice. The military which seized power recently from a democratically elected leader have decided to deny Malians that sacred right, extending their illegitimate rule to five more years — a blatant violation of ECOWAS principles and rights of the Malian people.
Colonel Goita and his military junta are relying on previous experience to convince themselves of the inability of ECOWAS to bite.
Consequently, they have failed to honor the call to return Mali to civilian rule earlier this year.
For the Military regime in Mali, ECOWAS will forever remain a baby, lacking the strength to project its interest and the power to enforce its will.
There are misgivings in some quarters about the decision ECOWAS took with regards to the sanction imposed on Mali.
Admittedly, most sanctions do not work because they can be circumvented. Worse still, they can be counter-productive triggering rally-round-the-flag support for the targeted country’s government, while hurting disenfranchised groups rather than the ruling elites.
If ECOWAS has remained a baby all this while, at least it has managed to grow and bite.
Mali stands today as a testimony of the ability of the sub-regional body to bite in an effort to protect the overall interest of citizens within its enclave.
The writer is Director of Programmes, Institute of Current Affairs and Diplomacy, E-mail: [email protected]
