Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has directed the reopening of country's land and air borders with Niger and the lifting of other sanctions against the neighbouring country ''with immediate effect.''
This is 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,'' according to a statement by Tinubu's spokesperson Chief Ajuri Ngelale on Wednesday.
Nigeria will also restore electricity to Niger and unfreeze Niger's assets, according to the statement.
West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, had imposed a raft of economic sanctions on Niger including closing borders with member-states and cutting financial dealings following a military coup in the country in July 2023.
Dialogue moves
It had also threatened to use force to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. These moves sparked tensions between the bloc on one hand, and junta-led countries in the region on the other.
After months of tensions, ECOWAS announced the lifting of the sanctions last month as part of pursuing a peaceful resolution to the dispute. It said it dialogue was ''the best option.''
Nigeria, whose President Bola Tinubu is currently the head of ECOWAS, is the first country to publicly announce the implementation of the sanctions-lifting decision.
The Nigerian government says it is taking the move because ''ECOWAS leaders had agreed to lift economic sanctions against the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.''
Wave of coups
Tinubu has also approved ''the lifting of financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea.''
Niger was the latest to join the ranks of West African countries hit by coups with the military toppling the elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 last year. Gen Abdourahamane Tiani was then installed as the leader of the country.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso had said they would quit ECOWAS alleging it had failed to live up to the vision of its founding fathers.
They also accused the regional bloc of unfair treatment against them citing the sanctions and the threats of using force after the coups.
The juntas in the three countries have not yet publicly commented on ECOWAS decision to lift the sanctions.
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