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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu and other Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are currently holding an Extraordinary Summit at the State House, Abuja.
The ongoing ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit is focusing on the political, peace and security situation in the region.
Tinubu, who is the current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, is leading talks on developments within and around member-states that have fallen under military rule.
Recall that Mali, August 2020; Burkina Faso, September 2022; and Niger, July 2023, have all experienced military coups which led to their being sanctioned by the ECOWAS Authority, a step that had escalated hostility within the region.
However, the military-led juntas of Burkina-Faso, Mali and Niger, in late January, announced their withdrawal from the regional body 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’.
In July 2023, the regional bloc approved the “Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger. Freeze all service transactions, including energy transactions.”
It froze assets of the Republic of Niger in Aqua Central Bank and the state enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks.
It also took similar steps when Mali and Burkina-Faso fell under military rule.
Although ECOWAS’s rules mandate a withdrawing member state to issue one year’s notice, the junta declared their secession as immediate. It was the first withdrawal nearly 24 years after Mauritania pulled out in December 2000.
On February 15, ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic announced plans to establish a confederation.
Details later…
