Three days after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on Mali to press the military junta to hand over power, relatively calm returns to Bamako with no signs of any more panic.

ECOWAS slapped economic, financial and diplomatic sanctions on Mali, triggering off a stockpiling rush in the capital in the first two days. On Wednesday, a lull was witnessed in the city, although everyone was in fear that the situation might get worse.

Contrary to the first two days, there were no long queues at petrol stations and the basic foodstuffs were being bought at normal prices.

Talking about those products, the national director for commerce, Ousmane Ansoumane Toure, gave his assurances.

"Before the sanctions were enforced on March 29, the country got enough supplies. Speaking of rice, there are 40,000 tons which are enough stock for one month, over 33,000 tons of sugar enough for more than 80 days of consumption and 2,088 tons of milk that can last a month," Toure said.

Concerning supply of electricity to the capital, Makan Alou, an official from the Mali Energy Company (Edm S.a), said, "We have two types of power stations to supply power to our customers: hydroelectric stations which function with water and thermal power stations which use diesel," he said.

As the dry season began, he said, Edm S.a was in the process of making special arrangements to ensure continued supply of electricity to its customers because the country received low amounts of rainfall.

In the recent past, Edm has resorted to disconnecting power during day time and restoring it at night.

"With the continued negative development of the situation, we risk being unable to supply electricity to everyone even at night, " Alou warned.

He, however, said defense and security zones, water pumping stations, telephone centers and hospitals will be given priority in power supply.

Speaking of the ECOWAS sanctions, the secretary general of the Confederation of Labor Unions of Mali (CSTM), Amadoune Amion Guindo, who supports the putschists, said, "They were not necessary."

"ECOWAS should understand that sanctions and economic as well as financial embargo cannot reduce or change policies and decisions in any given country in the world," Guindo said.