Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS are meeting at a highly anticipated summit in Accra, Ghana, on Sunday to decide on sanctions against Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, three countries that have suffered coups.
The West African leaders, who seek to push for a swift return of civilians to power, will consider the tough trade and financial retaliation measures imposed on Mali since January, and the lesser ones on Burkina Faso and Guinea.
Mali bled dry by a conflict that has lasted for more than a decade and is facing an embargo on trade and financial transactions, except for basic necessities.
Burkina, another country caught up in the jihadist turmoil, and Guinea are for the time being only suspended from ECOWAS bodies. But the juntas in power intend to remain there for three years and expose their country to tougher sanctions.
Hostile negotiations have been underway for months between the military junta in Mali and ECOWAS, but so far they have not led to a compromise.
The last summit, on 4 June, gave birth to a mouse: no decision was taken on sanctions against the coup regimes, and ECOWAS gave itself another month to negotiate and agree on whether to lift or maintain sanctions.
In the meantime, the mediator Goodluck Jonathan, former president of Nigeria, came to Bamako on Friday to meet with the military authorities. Although nothing has officially emerged from the talks, a member of his entourage told Newsmen that Mali has made enormous progress.
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