A pioneer President of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, has called on the bloc’s leaders to lift the sanctions slammed on Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic following military coups in the countries.
Chambas, currently the African Union’s, AU, High Representative for ‘Silencing the Guns in Africa,’ made the call in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.
While speaking ahead of the ECOWAS Summit slated for Abuja during the weekend, he also urged Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger military leaders to withdraw their threat to exit from the sub-regional bloc.
He called on all stakeholders in the West African sub-region to heed the recent call of former Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), to end the prevailing conflicts and unite the people in the area.
“I very heartily join Gen. Gowon’s appeal for the lifting of sanctions and also appeal to the three countries that are threatening to withdraw from ECOWAS to, indeed, come back to the fold.
“They haven’t quit yet because the ECOWAS Protocols are there. They know it and the protocols have to be followed for any country to withdraw.
“So I can only call it at this point, a threat and I think that with Gowon himself stepping in, they should heed his appeal.
“ECOWAS Heads of State too should listen to Gen. Gowon’s appeal and reach out to these three countries for them to reconsider their threats to withdraw from ECOWAS because we are stronger united than divided.
“And the time is now for ECOWAS to come together,” Chambas said
