The foreign ministers of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso are in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, ahead of an African Union summit to lobby to be let back into the organisation.

All three countries were suspended from the African Union and the regional grouping Ecowas following military coups.

Mali's foreign ministry said the suspensions were hindering the desire of all three Sahel countries to make the transition back to civilian rule.

The ministers will not be able to participate in the summit but say they have met foreign ministers from the hosts Ethiopia and the Comoros Islands who currently hold the presidency of the AU.