West African Bloc Issues Ultimatums to Mali, Burkina Faso Junta Leaders
KIGALI, Rwanda/ACCRA, Ghana (AA) – West African leaders met Friday to examine the political situation in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, issuing warnings for failure to restore constitutional order following recent coups in the three countries.
At an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc in Ghana’s capital, Accra, the bloc’s chairman, Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo described the three countries as recalcitrant members of the bloc.
The West African leaders gave Mali’s transitional authorities 12 – 16 months to arrange elections. The bloc, meanwhile, asked Burkina Faso’s interim leaders to reduce a proposed transition period of 36 months to a “more acceptable timeline.”
ECOWAS also asked Guinea to present an “acceptable timetable for the transition” of the government before the end of April.
After that deadline, individual sanctions would be imposed on members of the government and the National Transitional Council (CNT), it warned.
ECOWAS has already imposed sanctions on Mali and Guinea for delaying the restoration of constitutional order.
The leaders decided to maintain sanctions that were imposed in January.
The bloc maintained the suspension of Burkina Faso from all ECOWAS bodies until the restoration of constitutional order.
Like Mali and Guinea, ECOWAS suspended Burkina Faso from its governing bodies after the military overthrew President Kabore.
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