ECOWAS Bars Burkina Faso From West-African Bloc

Burkina Faso has been suspended from the West African bloc of ECOWAS after an extraordinary meeting held on Friday.

The virtual meeting was held to discuss the crisis in Burkina Faso, where army officers led by Paul-Henri Damiba deposed President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

For now, ECOWAS will not impose further sanctions on Burkina Faso, a meeting attendee disclosed.

However, ECOWAS called on the Damiba-led junta to release ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other officials detained during Monday’s coup, adding that the bloc would hold another summit in Accra on February 3.

This is coming barely a week after the new Military Government of Mali announced its cessation of diplomatic ties with France and its withdrawal from ECOWAS over sanctions on Mali.

Mali had also witnessed a military junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita the former vice president in May 2021. It was the country's third coup in 10 years, coming just nine months after the one preceding it.