unprecedented pressure

Niger’s endurance under sanctions is limited, says economist Lopes

By Estelle Maussion

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Posted on August 22, 2023 04:00

Military personnel attend the meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense as they make plans to deploy the ECOWAS standby force to the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana, August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko

Despite political challenges, ECOWAS is attracting support as a model of regional integration, says Bissau-Guinean economics professor Carlos Lopes.

Carlos Lopes, a highly respected Bissau-Guinean economist, describes the Sahel’s situation as “a very worrying progression from Sudan to Mali”, following the 26 July coup against President Mohamed Bazoum in Niger.

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