The Economic Community of West African States says the decision to lift sanctions on Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso was based on the need to maintain regional unity and security.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, revealed this at the end of the extraordinary session of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in Abuja.
He said that the authority took note of the period of Lent and the approaching month of Ramadan and the impact on citizens, adding that pleas were also received from prominent leaders including retired GeneralYakubu Gowon.
The ECOWAS president explained that regional bloc takes note that the withdrawal will have political, socio-economic, financial, and institutional implications for the three countries as well as for ECOWAS as a region.
He said the authority recalls that within the framework of regional cooperation against terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime, the three countries benefited from about 100 million US dollars mobilised by UMR within the context of the ECOWAS plan of action against terrorism.
Touray added that about 7.5 million US dollars is being made towards supporting the three countries in acquiring the equipment to help their fight against terrorism.
He noted that the withdrawal will affect security cooperation in terms of sharing intelligence and participation in regional counterterrorism initiatives such as the Accra initiative and the Multinational Joint Task Force,
Touray revealed that the withdrawal of the countries from the sub-regional bloc would lead to diplomatic and political isolation on the international scene where the countries have obtained support for their candidates in the contest for international positions.
He equally acknowledged that the withdrawal will automatically affect the immigration status of the citizens, as they may be required to obtain visas to travel around the region.