JOHANNESBURG - Burkina Faso authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to remain in the eight-nation West African Economic and Monetary Union, known by its French acronym UEMOA, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday.

The West African country and its neighbors Mali and Niger jointly announced on Jan. 28 they were pulling out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after it pressured them to restore constitutional order following a string of coups.

The country's military leader Ibrahim Traore had said the three countries could also quit the region's CFA franc currency.

However, the IMF said in its statement that during their meeting with Burkina Faso authorities, they were reassured that in the context of heightened regional uncertainty the country remained committed to their UEMOA membership.

(Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian, Editing by Bate Felix)