The phrase ‘sanctions have been imposed’ frequently features when countries are at the centre of a big news story. Recently we’ve mentioned that some of Niger’s neighbours brought in sanctions after the military takeover. And the warring parties in Sudan have faced sanctions from the UK since the conflict started there. They are seen by some countries as a way of leveraging their influence to get a preferred outcome. But, what exactly are sanctions? How are they supposed to work? And do they actually have any impact?

#AfricaDaily