The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has lifted sanctions on Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.  The West African regional bloc’s decision was announced at an emergency session held in Nigeria’s capital Abuja over the weekend.

ECOWAS said it was lifting financial and economic sanctions against Guinea and ending restrictions on the recruitment of Malians to professional positions within the bloc’s institutions. The ECOWAS move motions a desire to renew dialogue with military regimes after they announced their intention to leave the bloc. The three countries have formed an alliance, extricate themselves from the colonial France and forged closer relations with Russia- something ECOWAS masters are trying to avoid from happening.

Some say, the withdrawal of three states from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will cause a greater harm for the entire bloc in its fight against terrorism while those countries literally pay the cost of R2 billion. According to ECOWAS, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) countries’ withdrawal will affect security cooperation in terms of sharing intelligence and participation in regional counter-terrorism initiatives, such as the Accra Initiative and Multinational Joint Task Force. It was revealed during the meeting the three countries benefitted from a R1.9 billion fund known by its French name, Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA). So far, the three have drawn up more than R142 million from the UEMOA fund to equip their armies.