Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met over the weekend to address a political crisis in the coup-hit region that worsened in January with military-ruled Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali's deciding to exit the 15-member bloc. ECOWAS President Omar Touray announced the lifting of sanctions against Niger as it seeks to set a new strategy for keeping the three junta-led states from withdrawing from the economic and political union. For more on the bloc’s decision to lift the sanctions and to re-admit the military-led states, VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to Steven Nabieu Rogers, a public policy and African governance analyst.