Mali, Burkina Faso & Guinea insist on re-entry to ECOWAS & AU

February 11, 2023

(3 minutes read)

Foreign ministers from three West African countries that have undergone military coups called for their reinstatement into two key regional blocs, viz ECOWAS and AU. Significantly, this development comes immediately after the visit of Russian envoy Sergei Lavrov to the region.

The top diplomats of Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso said in a joint statement that they would push for the lifting of their suspensions from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU). Abdoulaye Diop of Mali, Morissanda Kouyate of Guinea, and Burkina’s Olivia Rouamba held talks in Ouagadougou after Lavrov travelled to Mali earlier in the week. The Russian foreign minister pledged assistance to the West African countries battling jihadists. The joint statement says that the three countries had agreed to pool their efforts and undertake joint initiatives for the lifting of the suspension measures and other restrictions taken by ECOWAS and the AU,

Military has seized power in Mali and Burkina Faso amid anger over the toll from a jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and forced millions to relocate from the troubled places. The coup in Guinea had different causes, being rooted in public anger against then-president Alpha Conde, over a lurch towards authoritarianism.

https://trendsnafrica.com/russias-foreign-minister-lavrov-in-mali/

https://trendsnafrica.com/russia-deepens-its-efforts-to-win-africa/

During his visit to Mali, the Russian foreign minister had assured all possible help to the country and supported its demand to remove sanctions by the UN and other organizations, as reported by www.trendsnafrica.com.