ABUJA (Nigeria), Dec 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The West African court has rejected the lawsuit filed by the Nigerien military government demanding the lifting of a series of sanctions imposed by countries belonging to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after the July coup.
In November, Niger filed a petition with the ECOWAS Court of Justice arguing that sanctions, including cuts in food and medicine supplies, have seriously affected people in the region. The leader of the Nigerien military government has requested a temporary suspension of sanctions before a final decision is made on this issue.
However, the court recently dismissed the case and said that the military government was not qualified to sue on behalf of the country of Niger.
According to Judge Dupe Atoki, the Nigerian military government is not a recognized government or a member of ECOWAS. Therefore, the lawsuit was dismissed due to insufficient basis for conclusion.
On July 26, a group of officers from the Nigerien Presidential Guard arrested President Mohamed Bazoum and established a transitional government. The incident marks yet another coup in Africa’s Sahel region in recent years.
Niger used to be an important partner of Western countries. But since the coup, the country has revoked security treaties with the European Union (EU) and France, and terminated two treaties with France on cooperation and administrative assistance in issues. tax.
In October, Niger’s military government said it had cut planned spending for 2023 by 40% as sanctions caused hardship for one of the world’s poorest countries. — NNN-AGENCIES
