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Added on the 23/09/2020 18:30:25 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Nigeriens on have welcomed the lifting of some of the sanctions that were imposed on the country by West Africa's regional bloc following last year's coup. 'For us, it's like a celebration,' says a local tradesman. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended trade and imposed tough sanctions last July, after Niger's president, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted in a military coup. SOUNDBITE
Leaders from West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS stage a summit over Mali's political crisis, three months after slapping tough sanctions on the Sahel nation. IMAGES
More sanctions against Russia and tightening of existing measures will be announced Thursday when President Joe Biden meets European allies in Brussels, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tells reporters at a White House briefing. The announcement will include "further sanctions on Russia, and tightening the existing sanctions to crack down on evasion and to ensure robust enforcement," Sullivan adds. SOUNDBITE
West African leaders began a key summit to address the latest coup in the region. Emergency talks in the Ghanaian capital Accra were triggered after Burkina Faso on January 24 became the third member of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be overtaken by the military in less than two years - which Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo calls 'of grave concern' in his opening statement. SOUNDBITE
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal announces that a "detailed timetable for the gradual lifting of the latest measures" against the Covid epidemic will be announced by ministers Jean Castex and Olivier Véran. SOUNDBITE