(Bloomberg) -- Burkina Faso's neighbors suspended the West African country from their regional bloc following a coup that toppled the government of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
The suspension came a day after Burkina Faso's new military leadership said it would focus on reclaiming territory from jihadists, having accused Kabore of mishandling a spiralling security crisis. It called for international support ahead of the meeting by leaders from the Economic Community of West African States.
The 15-nation bloc, known as Ecowas, also demanded the release of Kabore, who remains in the junta's custody, according to a statement Friday.
Ecowas “strongly condemns the coup d'etat and expresses deep concern over the resurgence of military coups in the region,” it said. It “reaffirms its resolute commitment to upholding zero tolerance for acceding power through unconstitutional means.”
Burkina Faso is the third Ecowas nation to suffer a coup in the past 18 months. The bloc has used sanctions to try and pressure military leaders in Mali and Guinea into restoring civilian rule after staging coups in those countries. In both cases, the bloc first insisted on the unconditional release of the ousted leaders and a clear election timeline before imposing restrictions, including a trade embargo and travel bans.
The gold-producing nation's new leader, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, didn't provide a timeline for democratic elections in his first televised address Thursday, saying that the Burkinabè people would decide “once the conditions are right.”
Armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have made large swathes of the country ungovernable over the past six years, leaving thousands dead and causing a refugee crisis that's displaced about 1.6 million people.
Read more: How Jihadists Are Creating Turmoil Across West Africa: Quicktake
“We must significantly reduce the zones under terrorist influence and the impact of violent extremism,” Damiba said in the address. “Our country Burkina Faso needs its partners more than ever.”
Ecowas is sending two delegations to Burkina Faso over the next three days to assess the situation and will reconvene on Feb. 3 to decide on further action, according to the statement. Its response will likely influence the reaction of the larger international community.
The U.S. has already signaled it may withdraw aid to the country, one of the world's poorest despite being Africa's fourth-biggest gold producer.
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