West African bloc says will not abandon Burkina Faso after coup

FILE PHOTO: Economic Community Of West African States flags are pictured during a Nigeria, Benin and Niger foreign ministers meeting on Nigeria's border closure in Abuja, Nigeria November 14, 2019. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - A representative of West Africa's regional bloc said on Thursday it will keep working with Burkina Faso despite concerns about the military junta's plan to hold power for three years after a January coup.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Burkina Faso after the military ousted President Roch Kabore, but has not imposed sanctions as it did on neighbouring Mali and Guinea, where the military have also snatched power in the last 18 months.