Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Thursday formally approved the deployment into Liberia of the ECOWAS Vanguard Interposition Force by Monday, 4 August. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- The Chairman of ECOWAS, Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday called on West African leaders to be proactive in resolving the bloody conflict in Liberia to prove to the rest of the world that Africans are capable of solving their problems. Full text...

Monrovia- Liberia (PANA) -- A delegation of officers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by Force Commander, Festus Okonkwo, a Nigerian Army Brigadier-General arrived Wednesday evening in Monrovia for a reconnaissance mission. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- Nigeria's upper legislative chamber, the Senate, has approved the deployment of two battalions of Nigerian troops to Liberia, as part of a 3,250-strong ECOWAS force. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- A 12-member team of top West African military officers is scheduled to leave Accra, Ghana for Monrovia Wednesday on a reconnaissance mission to facilitate the deployment of regional troops to war-torn Liberia, ECOWAS officials told PANA in Lagos. Full text...

Abuja- Nigeria (PANA) -- Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar Tuesday in Abuja restated the country's readiness to send peacekeeping troops to Liberia. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- ECOWAS leaders are to meet in Accra, Ghana Thursday in continuing efforts to end the bloodbath in Liberia, ECOWAS sources in the Ghanaian capital, venue of Liberian peace talks. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for an immediate ceasefire in Liberia to enable the regional bloc deploy its military advance team in the country. Full text...

Bissau- Guinea Bissau (PANA) -- President Kumba Yala of Guinea Bissau Monday assured that fair play and transparency would prevail in the country's 12 October early general elections. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- More than 20 West African journalists began a meeting in Bamako, Mali, Monday on the harmonisation of media laws within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- Brigadier General Festus Okonkwo, Nigerian Commander of the ECOWAS peacekeeping force to Liberia, Monday held a meeting in Accra with troops and logistics contributing countries, and raised doubts whether the force could be in Monrovia by Friday's deadline set by ECOWAS. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- Senior officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the US on Monday began a meeting in Accra on the deployment of peacekeepers in Liberia. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- The first batch of Nigerian soldiers, part of an interposition force for Liberia, is now expected to be deployed in the country Thursday, Nigerian military sources told PANA in Lagos Sunday. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- A wide division appeared Friday in the leadership of the main rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) in Accra, venue of the Liberian peace talks. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has increased its troops contribution to the International Stabilisation Force for Liberia from 3,000 to 3,250, as the 15-member regional bloc prepares to deploy the vanguard force to the war-torn country this weekend, PANA has learnt. Full text...

Bamako- Mali (PANA) -- Trade and Finance ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) will end consultations here Friday ahead of multilateral commercial talks between the European Union (EU) and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- With the West African sub-region boiling with conflicts, ECOWAS Chairman, Ghana's President John Agyekum Kufuor has expressed concern about the youths being recruited as mercenaries to create instability. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- ECOWAS mediators of the Liberia Peace Talks in Accra said Wednesday that the major players were yet to agree the Comprehensive Peace plan. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Defence and army chiefs of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) began a meeting in Dakar, Senegal Tuesday on the terms for the deployment of a regional peacekeeping force in Liberia. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- Speaker Ali Nouhoum Diallow of ECOWAS Parliament has challenged African women to stand up and fight for their rights. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended the mission of the Joint Verification Team (JVT) for Liberia due to the escalation of fighting in Monrovia, ECOWAS sources said here Tuesday. Full text...

Abidjan- Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) -- Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday said in Abidjan that ECOWAS (Economic Community for West African States) troops would only be deployed to Monrovia after the restoration of a cease-fire broken last week between the Liberian belligerents. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- Nigeria's Brigadier-General Festus Okonkwo, Commander of ECOWAS Vanguard Force, will lead a 10-member Technical Survey Team to Liberia Wednesday to assess the situation in the nation's capital Monrovia, ahead of immediate deployment of a 1,000-strong sub-regional peacekeeping force. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Olara Otunnu, UN special representative for children and armed conflicts, Friday hoped the deployment of an international peacekeeping force to Liberia would be "as soon as possible" to avert an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in West Africa. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The African Development Bank (ADB) and the African Development Fund (ADF) have signed an agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which provides a framework for cooperation between the Bank and the sub-regional economic grouping. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- An ECOWAS technical team is due in Monrovia Friday to gather necessary information for the deployment of the 1,500 West African advance troops in Liberia, ECOWAS sources told PANA in Lagos Thursday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- About 20 female journalists from 15 West African countries Wednesday commenced a three-day drill here on the concept of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) initiative. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- Preparations are well advanced for the first meeting of the Eco-Community Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) slated for 21-25 July in The Gambia, organisers said here Wednesday. Full text...

Abidjan- Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) -- General Pape Khalilou Fall, commander of the peacekeeping force of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has warned that there would no funds to operate the ECOWAS Mission in Cote d'Ivoire (MICECI) beginning next September. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- In spite of urgent appeals by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for the Security Council to authorise immediate deployment of troops to keep peace in troubled Liberia, the Council's decision on the issue may wait till August. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- The UN Security Council Mission to West Africa turned in its report Wednesday, blaming some governments in the region, particularly that of Liberia for exacerbating existing tension in the region. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- Nigeria has pledged to contribute 1,300 soldiers, about half of the 3,000 troops pledged by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), for the interposition force to be deployed in Liberia, informed sources told PANA here Saturday. Full text...

Freetown- Sierra Leone (PANA) -- The UN Security Council mission to West Africa has praised efforts of the government and people of Sierra Leone to gradually recover from ten years of civil war to peace building. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- The seventh ECOWAS Defence and Security Commission meeting took off in Accra on Thursday with a call for measures to help Liberians end the carnage in their country. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- ECOWAS has accredited the Swedish ambassador to Nigeria, Brigitta Hoist Alani, as the country's Permanent Representative to the 15-member regional organisation, the ECOWAS Secretariat said in a statement. Full text...

Abuja- Nigeria (PANA) -- The situation in Liberia, where uneasy calm prevails after days of heavy fighting between government and rebel forces, dominated Sunday's meeting between the visiting UN Security Council mission and the ECOWAS officials in Abuja. Full text...

Accra- Ghana (PANA) -- Ghana's President John Agyekum Kufuor said Friday night that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would send a peacekeeping force into Liberia once the fighting stops. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- Liberian peace talks chief mediator, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Friday adjourned the talks for a week to allow the ECOWAS Defence and Security Commission and the Mediation and Security Council meet in an emergency session to consider the situation in the country. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- Renewed hostilities in Liberia between the government and rebel forces have raised concern among leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is brokering a peace deal among conflicting parties in the country. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- With 11 percent of market shares, China has become the second largest exporter, after France, to the 15- member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Mauritania, a French economist said here. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- The Liberian peace talks at Akosombo, Ghana will resume on Wednesday to enable two other members of the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) due in Tuesday, to take part in the process, mediator Abdulsalami Abubakar announced at a meeting in the Ghanaian town Monday. Full text...

Abuja- Nigeria (PANA) -- The European Union (EU) has donated 390,000 euros to ECOWAS to enhance ongoing peace talks between the Liberian government and the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebels in Ghana. Full text...

Abuja- Nigeria (PANA) -- French delegation and officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) began discussions here Thursday, on a training mission for countries involved in peacekeeping operations in Africa. Full text...

Monrovia- Liberia (PANA) -- Liberian President Charles Taylor has left Monrovia to attend the Liberian peace talks opening Wednesday in Ghana, officials said Tuesday. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- The chair of the African Union, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, is among the six African leaders expected to join host President John Kufuor of Ghana at Wednesday's opening of the Liberian peace talks, ECOWAS officials said in Lagos Monday. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- ECOWAS has shifted the venue of this week's talks between the warring parties in Liberia, scheduled for Ghana, from Elmina to Akosombo, officials told PANA in Lagos Monday. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- A 14-member ECOWAS election observer mission has arrived in Lome, Togo, for the country's Sunday presidential election, the ECOWAS Secretariat said in a statement in Abuja Friday. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- Though better known for its peacekeeping role than its original purpose of economic integration of the West African sub-region, ECOWAS Friday insisted that progress on the integration project was the highpoint of its achievements in the past 28 years. Full text...

Lagos- Nigeria (PANA) -- The international fund-raising conference to solicit money for the ECOWAS Mission in Cote d'Ivoire (ECOMICI) has been re-scheduled for Brussels in July, according to Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Akufo-Addo. Full text...

Abuja- Nigeria (PANA) -- West African leaders Wednesday adopted a special declaration in an effort to restore peace and security to the sub-region, wracked by conflicts that have stunted economic growth and hampered social and political development. Full text...