Mahama off to Abuja to discuss Burkina Faso crisis

President John Mahama will today leave Accra for an extraordinary session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government to discuss the political situation in Burkina Faso.

The Abuja meeting follows days of mediation efforts led by ECOWAS after a military coup by the Burkinabe Presidential Guards.

The Government of Ghana had in an earlier statement signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Hanna Tetteh, condemned the coup of September 17, noting that it violates with impunity "the internationally brokered process to promote the principle of entrenching democracy and constitutional governance in Burkina Faso."

The statement also called on the people of Burkina Faso to remain calm and exercise restraint while urging the political stakeholders to embrace dialogue to ensure the protection and preservation of lives.