“Excellencies, the resurgence of coup d’Etats in the region is a matter of grave concern. This evolution challenges the democratic way of life we have chosen and we need to stand firm to protect democracy and freedom in the region.
ECOWAS Chairman, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for a strong commitment from West African leaders to end the resurgence of Coup d’Etats before the destabilization of the region.
President Akufo-Addo gave the clarion call on Thursday at the opening of the Bloc’s extraordinary summit in Accra to deliberate on the political situation in Burkina Faso.
He warned that the trend could be devastating for the region and urged leaders to be wary of the threat to democracy.
“Let’s address this dangerous trend collectively and decisively before it devastates the whole region,”
The meeting also examined the current situation in Guinea and Mali and its contagious effects on the region.
The regional bloc, which is grappling with terrorist attacks, insurgency and the COVID-19 pandemic, has experienced three military take-overs in the past 19 months, the latest being the January 24, 2022 coup in
Burkina Faso where army officers demanding the sacking of military chiefs and more resources to fight Jihadists, deposed 64-year-old President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
ECOWAS sternly condemned the coup and has asked the junta to return the country to constitutional rule.
But the Burkinabe military authorities have indicated that constitutional order would only be restored “when the conditions are right”.
Leaders of the bloc last Friday held a virtual meeting on the situation in Burkina Faso and upheld the commitment to zero tolerance for the unconstitutional toppling of governments.
ECOWAS, after the virtual meeting, dispatched two missions, one of the ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff, and the other a Joint ministerial team to assess the security and political situation in Burkina Faso.
In a press briefing after the summit which was held behind closed doors, Jean Claude Kassi Brou, the President of the ECOWAS Commission said after assessing the report from the mission, ECOWAS decided to maintain Burkina Faso’s suspension from the bloc, and demanded the unconditional release of deposed President, Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
ECOWAS also requested the military junta to immediately propose a return date to constitutional rule.
ECOWAS condemned the coup attempt in Guinea Bissau and decided to send a stabilization force to Guinea Bissau.
On Mali, the heads of state expressed their disappointment for lack of progress and demanded a new acceptable timetable for return to constitutional rule, which is a condition to remove its sanctions against
Mali.
On Guinea, ECOWAS took notice of the transition process and accentuated the need for the transition authorities to also provide an acceptable timetable to ECOWAS.
On the resurgence of Coup details in west Africa, the ECOWAS president expressed grave concern and reechoed the ECOWAS Chairman’s frustration, stressing that the phenomenon is not good for stability and development.
He acknowledged that the sub-region is facing pressure from terror activities but that is not a reason for the unconstitutional change of power.
By: Isaac Clottey
