Flags of Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) countries are displayed inside the Nigeria presidential villa, after the extraordinary session of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria on February 24, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
Lagos: West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS said on Sunday it was easing sanctions imposed on Guinea and Mali, a day after announcing a similar decision for Niger, another country under military rule.
The bloc imposed sanctions following military coups in the countries.
The measures concerning Guinea and Mali, while decided on Saturday, were not mentioned during the closing speech by ECOWAS Commission chief Omar Alieu Touray but appear in the bloc's closing statement.
ECOWAS has suspended all three countries -- and Burkina Faso -- from membership of the bloc because of the military takeovers there.
At the start of Saturday's summit, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had said: "We must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our member states."
Nigeria currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ECOWAS.
