BREAKING: ECOWAS lifts sanctions against Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has lifted sanctions imposed on Niger Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, member nations that are ruled by military.
The authorities of ECOWAS on Saturday said the decision was based on humanitarian considerations, especially because of the Lenten period and the approaching month of Ramadan.
The regional bloc also lifted sanctions on Republic of Guinea-Bissau.
To invite all four countries to a meeting.
Earlier today, Presidential sources told Saturday PUNCH that with the lifted sanctions, the bloc would attempt to talk the three alienated states out of their decision to withdraw.
Headquartered in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, the nearly 50-year-old bloc consists of 15 countries.
However, the military-led juntas of Burkina-Faso, Mali and Niger, in late January, announced their withdrawal over “illegal sanctions” harming their people.
They also alleged that the bloc had fallen under the influence of foreign governments whose interests, they said were far from the peoples’.
A presidential source who spoke to Saturday PUNCH late Friday revealed that “ECOWAS is likely to lift the sanctions against those three states. For the sake of brotherhood, they don’t want them to go.
