Côte d’Ivoire announced on August 18 the closure of its land and air borders with Mali, until further notice, to comply with sanctions decided by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

According to the Ivorian authorities, this hasty decision follows the ousting of Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK) after a coup the same day. ECOWAS announced the suspension of Mali from all of its decision-making bodies “with immediate effect, following the additional protocol on democracy and good governance, until the effective restoration of constitutional order.”

The regional body also decided to “close all land and air borders and to halt all economic, commercial and financial flows and transactions” between its other Member States and Mali. ECOWAS called on all of its partners to do the same.

Borgia Kobri