The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is expected to suspend all sanctions imposed on Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, who are under military rule after juntas overthrew the civilian governments of all three countries.
This was as President Bola Tinubu, who serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States, hosts his counterparts at an extraordinary meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Saturday morning.
Presidential sources said 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’.