Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently conferring with Heads of State of ECOWAS member countries at the Extraordinary Summit on the Political, Peace and security situation in the region.
Presiding over the meeting at the Nigerian State House, President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, is leading discussions expected to see to the regional bloc relaxing sanctions on its military-ruled member states of Burkina-Faso, Mali and Niger.
However, the military-led juntas of Burkina-Faso, Mali and Niger, in late January, announced their withdrawal over “illegal sanctions” negatively affecting their citizens
They also said 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, as well as froze all service transactions, including energy transactions.
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It froze assets of the Republic of Niger in Aqua Central Bank, 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 notice, the junta declared their secession as immediate. It was the first withdrawal in 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.
However, the ECOWAS says the trio has not formally withdrawn from the league.
Present at the opening ceremony are the Presidents of Guinea Bissau, Cote D Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
The Presidents of Gambia and Liberia are represented by the Vice President of the countries.
Cabo Verde also had ambassadorial representation
