The Economic Community of West African States Parliament has called on the Heads of State and Government in the region to lift the sanctions imposed on the Niger Republic following the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.
Senator Ali Ndume, Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate and a member of the ECOWAS Parliament, addressed journalists after the opening session of the parliament, expressing concerns about the humanitarian impact of the sanctions on border communities.
“Children and women have been exposed to untold hardship. No meaningful progress has been made in resolving this issue,” Ndume stated.
He emphasized that the sanctions are disproportionately affecting innocent civilians, particularly in Nigeria, where seven states bordering Niger have been severely impacted.
“We are appealing to ECOWAS states to lift the sanction and open the closed border between Niger and Nigeria because it is the poor that are suffering,” Ndume appealed.
The senator highlighted the broader economic implications of the sanctions, noting that Niger serves as a crucial transit route for goods moving across West Africa.
“This also affects other non-border countries because Niger is a lead way for goods moving from Sokoto to Ghana, goods moving from Togo to Nigeria, and goods moving from several parts of the ECOWAS countries from the West down to the North,” Ndume explained.
