W.African Bloc Lifts Sanctions Against Guinea, Mali

Lagos, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2024) West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS said Sunday it was easing sanctions imposed on Guinea and Mali, a day after announcing a similar decision for Niger, another country under military rule.

The bloc imposed sanctions following military coups in the countries.

The measures concerning Guinea and Mali, while decided on Saturday, were not mentioned during the closing speech by ECOWAS Commission chief Omar Alieu Touray but appear in the bloc's closing statement.

ECOWAS has suspended all three countries -- and Burkina Faso -- from membership of the bloc because of the military takeovers there.

At the start of Saturday's summit, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had said: "We must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our member states."

Nigeria currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ECOWAS.