Ecowas pushes for dialogue, lifts coup sanctions

West African regional bloc ‘Ecowas’, threatened by the exit of three coup-hit nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger tried to win back the trust of the junta leaders by convening a special summit in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja. So far, sanctions against Guinea and Niger have been lifted and the member states are extending an olive branch to the military commanders in the region not to put their people in jeopardy. Will dialogue prevail? That answer only lies with the junta regimes.