W.Africa Bloc Gives Military Leaders More Time To Stay
Faizan Hashmi Published December 16, 2024 | 09:50 AM
Abuja, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Dec, 2024) West African leaders on Sunday gave three countries led by military governments six months to reconsider their decision to quit the regional group ECOWAS.
They also approved the creation of a special court to judge crimes committed during the rule of former dictator Yahya Jammeh in Gambia.
The decision on the military governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger came after all three countries said their decision to quit the Economic Community of West African States was "irreversible".
They condemned the bloc as subservient to ex-colonial ruler France.
The imminent departure of the three Sahel states could have a major impact on free trade and movement as well as on security cooperation in a region where militants tied both to Al Qaeda and Islamic State are gaining ground.
Under the bloc's regulations, their quitting the group would have become effective next month, a year after their initial January 2024 announcements.
But following a meeting of West African leaders in Abuja, the group said in a statement: "The authority decides to set the period from 29 January, 2025, to 29 July, 2025, as a transitional period and to keep ECOWAS doors open to the three countries."
