ECOWAS imposes sanctions on Guinea-Bissau junta

West African regional bloc ECOWAS said on Monday it had imposed sanctions on Guinea-Bissau after talks with the members of the military junta, aimed at restoring constitutional order in the country, broke down. Mali's junta said on Friday it would resist any deployment of West African soldiers in the country and treat foreign forces sent there under a regional plan as "the enemy". "These are targeted sanctions against junta leaders and diplomatic, economic and financial sanctions against the country," an ECOWAS official said. "They went into effect at midnight, last night." ECOWAS said the junta rejected, among other things, a demand by the bloc that elections be set within 12 months. ECOWAS and junta representatives met in Gambia's capital Banjul for the talks.