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            African Leaders to Meet on Burkina Faso, Ebola Outbreak

   by Peter Clottey

   Heads of state and government officials from the Economic Community of
   West African States (ECOWAS) plan to meet Thursday at an extraordinary
   summit in Ghana's capital, Accra.

   High on the agenda is discussing measures to ensure a peaceful
   transition and restoration of democratic rule in Burkina Faso, as well
   as reassessing efforts to contain the outbreak of Ebola in parts of
   West Africa, according to Haruna Warkani, a spokesman for ECOWAS.

   "The two important things on the agenda are combating the outbreak of
   the Ebola, the containment, the efforts so far made, the successes and
   the challenges that are still outstanding, and then of course the
   unfortunate development in Burkina Faso," said Warkani.

   His comments came after an ECOWAS delegation comprising Nigerian
   President Goodluck Jonathan, Senegalese President Macky Sall and
   Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who also heads ECOWAS, met
   Wednesday with Burkina Faso's designated military leader, Lieutenant
   Colonel Isaac Zida, and other stakeholders about the need to expedite a
   transition process.

   Warkani said the regional bloc will continue its push to ensure a
   restoration of constitutional order in Burkina Faso.

   "It is because of the importance attached to this development that's
   why the heads of state could afford to carve out time within their very
   busy schedules to do that," said Warkani. "So, surely, the regional
   body is doing everything possible to ensure that this crisis does not
   escalate, and that the constitutional authority is restored and that
   will pave way for developments in the country."

   Some analysts say there appears to be a divide between ECOWAS and the
   African Union about how best to ensure a smooth civilian transition in
   Burkina Faso after protesters forced longtime leader Blaise Compaore to
   step down and flee into exile.

   They contend that while the African Union demanded in an ultimatum that
   the military leader Zida hand over power within two weeks to a civilian
   authority, a team of West African leaders that met with leaders in
   Burkina Faso said it could take up to a year before elections could be
   organized.

   But Warkani said the two institutions are working together to resolve
   the political crisis in the West African country.

   "It's a matter of perception sometimes and of course the two bodies are
   working towards achieving success of the situation," he said. "Don't
   forget when things like this crop up, there are bound to be several
   dimensions to it, but the bottom line is that there should be
   restoration of peace, tranquility and constitutional transfer of power
   to an appropriate authority in that country. So, it's not really a
   matter of contradiction."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/african-leaders-to-meet-over-burkina-
   faso-ebola-outbreak/2509864.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/african-leaders-to-meet-over-burkina-faso-ebola-outbreak/2509864.html