Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold an extraordinary summit on Burkina Faso and Mali on Friday, after military takeovers in both countries, Ivory Coast’s information minister said on Wednesday.
West Africa has witnessed three coups in nine months. The latest being in Burkina Faso, followed by Mali and Guinea.
The regional bloc strongly condemned President Roch Kabore’s ouster by army officers on Monday. It said he was forced to resign under threat and intimidation.
ECOWAS has already slapped broad sanctions on Mali, where the military-led government said this month it planned to extend its hold on power till 2025.
Burkina Faso’s new military regime, led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, said on Monday it would propose a return to constitutional order “within a reasonable time frame”.
A crowd also gathered in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Tuesday to celebrate the coup, with some saying they felt ECOWAS was not on their side.
