Parties want Mauritania to rejoin ECOWAS

Three parties from the ruling majority coalition in Mauritania on Thursday urged their government to re-join the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Mauritania withdrew from 15-member regional bloc in 1999 to join the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU). "ECOWAS plays key roles in strengthening democracy, the fight against military coups and economic integration in the region. In addition, several Mauritanian nationals are living in member countries of the organisation," Mustapha Ould Abiedrahmane, the chair of the Democratic Renewal (RD), said. Speaking at a press conference, Abiedrahmane said that Mauritania could only play an active role in finding a solution to the Malian crisis after re-joining ECOWAS. ECOWAS is currently made up of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.