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BREAKING: ECOWAS Suspends Burkina Faso Over Coup
The West African bloc ECOWAS on Friday suspended Burkina Faso following a coup, but will not impose other sanctions for the time being, a participant at a virtual summit said.
ECOWAS is also calling for the new junta to release ousted president Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other officials detained during Monday’s coup, the source said.
The bloc will hold another summit in Accra on February 3, it added.
The summit, which lasted around three hours, also decided to send a mission of ECOWAS chiefs of staff to Ouagadougou, the Burkinabe capital, on Saturday.
This will be followed on Monday by ministerial-level envoys from the bloc, the source said.
Kabore, 64, was elected in 2015 following a popular revolt that forced out strongman Blaise Compaore.
He was re-elected in 2020, but the following year faced a wave of anger over the mounting toll from a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali.
On Sunday, mutinies broke out in several barracks and the following day, Kabore was arrested and taken away by troops.
The impoverished Sahel state is being run by a junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who commands military units in the country’s jihadist-torn east.
On the eve of the summit, Damiba made a televised appeal for “the international community to support our country so it can exit this crisis as soon as possible.”
He promised Burkina would “return to a normal constitutional life… when the conditions are right.”
Burkina Faso joins two other ECOWAS countries — Mali and Guinea — where there have been coups in the past 18 months.
Those two countries have been suspended by the regional bloc, which has also imposed an array of sanctions on them, including measures against individuals.
January 28, 2022
Guinea rejects Ecowas sanctions against Mali amid rumbling UN power tussle
Guinea’s ruling Committee for National Restoration has dissociated the country from the unprecedented financial, economic and border blockage imposed on Mali by ECOWAS on 9 January.
There is reported intense power game playing out at the UN Security Council pitting France/Western allies against Russia/China over Mali, while the military-dominated Interim Authority in Bamako has called for a nationwide demonstration on Friday against what it called “extreme sanctions” imposed by ECOWAS on the country with some 19 million people.
Apart from the declared Guinean solidarity with Mali, Algeria, another Malian neighbour is believed to have also thrown its weight behind Mali.
The Guinea ruling Committee in a Communique recalled that ECOWAS suspended Guinea from all regional institutions in September 2021 following a military coup that month.
Consequently, the Committee said that Guinea could therefore not associate itself with the regional sanctions, adding that the country’s land, sea and air borders would remain open to all friendly nations in line with Pan-African solidarity.
The Communique further said that Guinea would continue to respect all international agreements and obligations.
There are also unconfirmed reports that the Col. Assimi Goita-led Bamako regime could demand the withdrawal of ECOWAS member States’ personnel from the UN Mission in Mali, MINUSMA.
ECOWAS nations and Chad account for about 70% of the MINUSMA personnel. The UN Mission has been in Mali since 2013 as part of the international fight against terrorism, albeit without much success.
Algeria, in an effort to keep terrorists and armed jihadists outside its territory has a vested interest in the political stability of Mali. Algiers hosted the signing of the Peace Accord by Malian protagonists in 2015.
Like Mali, Guinea is under military rule following the coup that toppled the government of elected President Alpha Conde in September 2021 after changing the national constitution to elongate his tenure.
The Col Mamady Doumbouya-led ruling military Committee in Conakry has yet to announce a transition timetable, ignoring ECOWAS’ six-month timeline given to it.
Some critics believe that the ECOWAS unprecedented blockage of Mali was instigated by Paris to punish the junta for daring to lean towards another super power for military support.
France, which has made no secret of its opposition to Russian military presence in Mali is currently reducing its forces supporting the fight against terrorism and insurrections in the Sahel region including Mali.
The Mali junta accuses France of abandonment and defends the country’s sovereign rights to seek support from any quarters to deal with insecurity crippling the nation.
Meanwhile, it was reported that before the ECOWAS Sunday summit in Accra, the Col. Goita-led junta had suggested a modified 24-month transition timetable, which was dismissed because the Francophone Economic and Monetary Union UEMOA, had already taken a “common position” against Mali.
Furthermore, the fact that Mali’s military agreement continues to figure in ECOWAS Communiqués is considered unprecedented and leaves many wondering why ECOWAS would join France in questioning a member State’s bilateral defence pact.
After 60 years of independence, African countries cannot continue to blame foreign powers for interference or their woes.
African leaders and their bad governance are the continent’s major problem.
Unfortunately, the once internationally acclaimed ECOWAS appears to be losing the capacity for independent decision and moral authority. This could mark the beginning of an end to its relevance.
Military rule remains an aberration. But only good governance not sanctions, will guarantee democracy in Mali and Africa as a whole.
African leaders must play by the rules to deliver good governance and the citizens must rise to their civic responsibilities by demanding accountability.
Paul Ejime is a Global Affairs Analyst and an Independent Consultant to International Organizations on Corporate Strategic Communications, Peace & Security and Elections.
January 12, 2022
ECOWAS Imposes Further Sanctions on Mali Junta
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced further sanctions against Mali’s military-dominated interim authority.
The additional sanctions included the recall for consultations by ECOWAS Member States of their Ambassadors accredited to Mali; closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Mali; suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Mali, with the exception of food products, pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and equipment, including materials for the control of COVID-19, petroleum products and electricity.
Furthermore, ECOWAS announced its decision to freeze the assets of the Republic of Mali in sub-region’s Central Banks; freeze assets of the Malian State and the State Enterprises and Parastatals in commercial banks; suspension of Mali from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and Banque Ouest-Africaine de Development (BOAD).
At the end of their extraordinary summit in Accra, Ghana, yesterday, the regional leaders also said the ECOWAS Military Standby Force would be readied for any eventuality.
The Accra meeting followed the decision of the Col. Assimi Goita-led interim government to abandon an original transition timetable, which had included elections next month after the military coup that toppled the government of elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020.
Goita had led another coup in May 2021, which elicited sanctions and the suspension of Mali from ECOWAS.
The summit’s communique chaired by Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo and Chair of ECOWAS Authority reiterated the bloc’s opposition to the presence of private military contractors, a reference to Russia’s support for Mali.
Malian authorities had accused France of abandonment for reducing its forces in the Sahel and Mali.
The French move forced the Bamako regime to approach Russia for support to deal with terrorists and Jihadist insurrections, especially in the northern and central regions.
There are indications that the new sanctions could hit hard on land-locked Mali, especially ordinary citizens who might find it difficult to withdraw money from the banks with the ECOWAS freeze of Malian assets and finances at the West African Central Bank based in Senegal.
While the sanctions could make life uncomfortable for the interim government, further destabilisation of Mali cannot be ruled out.
The communique stated: “The Heads of State and Government took note of the report of Dr. Goodluck JONATHAN, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS Mediator for Mali and the Memorandum on the political situation in Mali presented by Jean-Claude Kassi BROU, President of the ECOWAS Commission. The Authority commended the quality of the reports and the recommendations contained therein.
“The Authority, during deliberations, regrettably observed the failure of the transition authorities in Mali to take the necessary steps for the organisation of the Presidential elections before 27 February 2022 and contrary to the agreement reached with ECOWAS Authority on 15 September, 2020, and the commitment in the Transition Charter. The Authority deeply deplores the obvious and blatant lack of political will from the transition authorities that led to the absence of any tangible progress in the preparations for the elections, despite the willingness of ECOWAS and all regional and international partners to support Mali in this process.
“The Authority was briefed on the conclusions of the Assises National de la Refondation (ANR) of 13 December 2021, leading to the adoption of a calendar on the Transition in Mali. The calendar submitted on December 31, 2021 by the transition authorities to the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, schedules presidential elections to take place by the end December 2026.
“This will imply a transition period of six and a half (6.5) years. The Authority noted that important stakeholders did not participate in those ANR, thus reflecting a lack of consensus by national stakeholders with regards to the proposed calendar. Following the visit of the Mediator to Mali on 5 January 2022, the Transition Authorities submitted on 8 January 2022, a new calendar scheduling the conduct of the presidential elections for the end of December 2025, setting the duration of the transition for a total of five and a half years (5.5) years.”
Furthermore, it pointed out that the Authority found the proposed calendar for a transition totally unacceptable, stating that the calendar simply meant that an illegitimate military transition government would take the Malian people hostage during the next five years.
It, therefore, reiterated its call for the transition authorities to focus on activities geared towards an expeditious return to constitutional order and to defer key reforms within legitimate elected institutions to be established after the elections.
“In view of the above, the Authority decides to uphold the initial sanctions already imposed on Mali and on the transition authorities. The Authority also decides to impose additional economic and financial sanctions, in conformity with its deliberations at its Sixtieth Ordinary Session held on 12 December
2021 in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria. These additional sanctions include: Recall for consultations by ECOWAS Member States of their Ambassadors accredited to Mali; closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Mali; suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Mali, with the exception of food products, pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and equipment, including materials for the control of COVID-19, petroleum products and electricity.”
Other sanctions it listed included, “the freezing of assets of the Republic of Mali in ECOWAS Central Banks; freeze of assets of the Malian State and the State Enterprises and Parastatals in Commercial Banks; suspension of Mali from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly, EBID and BOAD.
“The Authority instructs all Community institutions to take steps to implement these sanctions with immediate effect. The sanctions will be reviewed in view of a gradual lifting only after an acceptable and agreed calendar is finalised as well as monitored satisfactory progress is realised in the implementation of the calendar for the elections.
“These sanctions have been put in place to facilitate the process of a return to constitutional order in Mali which is necessary for peace, stability and growth. By excluding essential basic goods and services, the sanctions have been designed to avoid impact on the population. In addition, in view of the potentially destabilising impact on Mali and the region, as a result of this transition in Mali, the Authority decides to activate immediately the ECOWAS Standby Force, to enhance its preparedness, should the need arise.
ECOWAS also called on the African Union, the United Nations and other partners to support the process for the enforcement of the sanctions.
“Despite the denial by the Malian Transition Government, the Authority remains deeply concerned by consistent reports on deployment of private security agents in Mali with its potentially destabilising impact on the West Africa Region.
“The Authority notes that this situation is closely related to the stalled political transition in the country. The Authority strongly condemns the continued arrest and imprisonment of Malian Political personalities and former dignitaries by the Transition Authorities and demands that their cases be handled in line with the rule of law and respect of human rights.
“Regarding Guinea, the Authority remains concerned about the slow progress of the transition process four months after the coup d’Etat. The Authority regrets the absence of an electoral calendar and the National Council of Transition (CNT). It also directs a mission be fielded to Conakry to discuss the transition process with the transition authorities.
“Concerning the Institutional Reforms of ECOWAS, the Authority instructs the President of the Commission to take all necessary measures for the new statutory appointees to take office on 1st July 2022 at the end of the tenure of the current management,” it added.
January 10, 2022
Buhari, Jonathan, Others Attend ECOWAS Ordinary Session
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday joined his African counterparts at the 60th Ordinary Session of Authority of Heads of State and Government ECOWAS at the State House in Abuja.
Those in attendance are the President of Ghana and Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of state and Governments, Nana Akufo-Addo; the former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan; Special Representatives of the United Nations; President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe and the President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum.
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Others are the Presidents of The Gambia, Adama Barrow; Cote D’ Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara; Senegal, Macky Sall; Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló; Sierra Leone, Julius Bio as well as the President of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Neves.
In his remarks, President Buhari said the region is tormented by numerous challenges especially the situation in Mali and Guinea where the military seized power.
He underpinned that West Africa continues to suffer from various major challenges including political, security, environmental and socioeconomic concerns linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
The President called on African leaders to continue to work together in a pragmatic way in order to confront the numerous challenges facing the sub-region, especially the threat to democracy.
He further noted that the gathering of African leaders in Abuja is a clear demonstration of their commitment to the effective integration of the sub-region.
Only last night, President Buhari hosted the leaders of the bloc to a pre-Conference dinner at the State House ahead of the event which is expected to deliberate on issues of trade, regional integration as well as peace and security in the ECOWAS region.
December 12, 2021
ECOWAS Meets Again to Review Political Situation in Mali, Guinea
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is meeting again for the third time to review the political situation in two of its 15-member nations — Mali and Guinea.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is leading the Nigerian delegation to the Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday (today) in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on the political situation in the Republics of Guinea and Mali.
According to a release issued by the Media Assistant to the Vice-President, Laolu Akande, Sunday’s extraordinary meeting, which will be the third on the same agenda this year, will assess previous resolutions and further review the political situation in the Republics of Guinea and Mali.
Osinbajo, who left Abuja earlier Sunday, accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, is expected back in Abuja later in the day.
The vice-president had participated in the second ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in Guinea and Mali held on 16th September in Accra, Ghana.
Before then, he had also attended a virtual ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit held on 8th September on the same agenda.
ECOWAS leaders in the communique issued at the end of the last special summit in Accra had, amongst other resolutions, decided to freeze the financial assets of members of the military junta, place a travel ban on them, while also demanding that the junta return Guinea to constitutional rule within six months.
Nigeria’s position on the situation in Guinea had been restated by Prof. Osinbajo at the summit, calling for the unconditional release of President Alpha Condé and more pressure to be put on the country’s military leaders to return the nation to democratic rule.
The vice-president had commended the efforts of stakeholders in Mali and re-emphasized the need to strictly respect and follow the electoral timetable for transition to civil rule.
At the virtual summit earlier, Osinbajo proposed punitive measures and proactive preventive steps towards addressing military intervention in civil rule in the region, which includes that the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), Commonwealth, and other relevant or related financial institutions act in unity simultaneously “to suspend a country, where there has been seizure of power, from these bodies”.
He also proposed engagement with the military junta and all stakeholders in Guinea and the enforcement of necessary “punitive measures that will ensure that the military junta does not overstay in power”.
The vice-president further reiterated Nigeria’s position, calling on all leaders to always respect the principles of democracy and the constitutions of their respective countries.
November 7, 2021
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October 4, 2021
ECOWAS, Red Cross Donate Relief Materials to Katsina Flood Victims
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in collaboration with the Nigerian Red Cross Society and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has donated relief materials to flood victims in Katsina State.
Items donated to the victims of the natural disaster in Bindawa Local Government Area (LGA), of the state includes 100 bags of rice, 100 bags of millets, 100 bags of beans, 200 gallons of palm and vegetable oil.
Others were 200 set of blankets, 300 set of underwear, 100 pieces of bathroom slippers, 400 sets of cups, buckets and detergents as well as 700 sets of towels, sanitary pads, mats and soaps.
Distributing the items to the 100 adversely affected victims in Bindawa Saturday, the Katsina Executive Chairman of Nigerian Red Cross Society, Aliyu Idris, said the gesture would assuage the suffering of the vulnerable persons.
He affirmed that aside the food and non-food items donated to the beneficiaries, ECOWAS and Red Cross in synergy with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs had commenced the renovation of 12 houses affected by the 2020 flood.
While noted that four boreholes have also been renovated in the area, Idris explained that the state branch of Nigerian Red Cross Society has trained 2,000 members as first aiders and provided basic first aid training for regular Marshals of the Federal Road Safety Commission in the state.
In addition, he said, over 500 volunteers across the state have received emergency training in disaster management, adding that the society also treated 610,809 first aid cases and referred 8,715 cases to appropriate health institutions.
Earlier, the ECOWAS representative, Aminu Abubakar, warned the beneficiaries against selling the donated items, saying anyone caught would face the wrath of the law.
October 3, 2021
ECOWAS Suspends Guinea
West Africa’s main political and economic bloc suspended Guinea’s membership on Wednesday following a weekend military coup that ousted President Alpha Conde and dealt the latest in a flurry of setbacks to democracy in the region.
During a virtual summit, leaders from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanded a return to the constitutional order and Conde’s immediate release, and also agreed to send a high-level mission to Guinea as soon as Thursday, said Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Alpha Barry.
“At the end of that mission, ECOWAS should be able to re-examine its position,” Barry told reporters.
He did not announce any immediate economic sanctions against Guinea, as ECOWAS imposed against Mali following a coup there in August 2020.
Some experts say ECOWAS’s leverage with Guinea could be limited, in part because the country is not a member of the West African currency union and not landlocked like Mali.
The economic bloc’s response is being closely watched amid criticism from pro-democracy advocates that it has not stood up robustly enough in recent months against democratic backsliding in West Africa.
ECOWAS remained silent last year as Conde and Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara sought third terms after changing constitutions that would have forced them to step down, moves denounced as illegal by their opponents.
Activists say this has contributed to West Africans’ loss of faith in democracy and made military coups more likely.
Mali’s military staged a second coup in May this year. ECOWAS said on Tuesday it was concerned transitional authorities there had not made sufficient progress toward organising elections next February as promised.
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Guinea’s coup leader, Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire, has pledged to install a unified, transitional government but has not said when or how that will happen.
In an apparent gesture to Conde’s civilian opponents, at least 80 political prisoners detained by the president were released on Tuesday evening, many of whom had campaigned against his constitutional change.
Doumbouya also met the heads of Guinea’s various military branches for the first time on Tuesday, hoping to unify the country’s armed forces under the junta’s command.
Guinea’s main opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo, who finished runner-up to Conde in three successive elections, told Reuters on Tuesday he would be open to participating in a transition back to constitutional governance.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Conde’s party said it “noted the advent of new authorities at the head of the country” and called for the president’s swift and unconditional release.
Since the putsch, life in the streets of Conakry appears to have returned to normal, with some military checkpoints removed.
Fears that the power struggle could hinder Guinea’s production of bauxite, a mineral used to make aluminium, have begun to ease. The country’s largest foreign operators say they have continued to operate without interruption.
Aluminium hit a fresh 10-year high on Monday after news broke of unrest in Guinea, which holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves. Doumbouya has pledged that mining will continue unhindered
September 9, 2021
FG Inaugurates Platform on ECOWAS Cross Border Programme
Nigeria has moved to consolidate its cross-border relations with neighbouring West African countries with the inauguration of the National Platform on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Cross Border Cooperation (CBC) support programme (2021-2025).
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Chairman, International Boundaries Technical Committee, Zubairu Dada, while performing the inauguration yesterday in Abuja, noted that the overall goal of the new ECOWAS CBC programme is to strengthen cooperation and good relations among ECOWAS member states in order to ensure free movement of people, goods and services.
He stated also that there is a consensus understanding that cross-border cooperation is superior to unilateral action in the development of border regions and the facilitation of the much-desired regional integration, adding that this fact has necessitated the need to establish a national platform to serve as a springboard for the facilitation of the much needed cooperation.
Dada said: “Many protocols, treaties and decisions have been adopted by the ECOWAS member states to bring down barrier among us, key among which is the decision to adopt the concept of Cross Border Cooperation.
“This framework between inextricable and contiguous neighbours was adopted by the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in January 2006 as a necessary mechanism for the transformation of border areas into zones of exchange and bridges of cooperation.”
The Minister of State added that the national platform is expected to play a vital role in the coordination of the programme at the national level, while listing part of the roles and responsibilities of the platform to include coordinating and managing national cross border cooperation, and multi-sectoral actions at local and national levels.
Others are to serve as technical steering committee at the national level and as framework for consultation, guidance and coordination to validate cross border cooperation initiatives selected for financing and implementation at local and national levels; to ensure better coordination of cross border cooperation initiatives between regional, zonal, national and local levels as well as prioritise actions.
He emphasised that Nigeria would continue to work with the ECOWAS to achieve not only the objectives of the initiative but also greater economic integration in line with the vision of the founding fathers.
“It is on this note that I have the honour and privilege to inaugurate this National Platform to the glory of God and for the benefit of Nigeria and the entire sub-region,” the minister said.
August 18, 2021
Buhari congratulates Olusegun Awolowo as he leads ECOWAS TPOs
President Muhammadu Buhari has lauded Executive Director of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, on his election as President of National Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs) from ECOWAS member States.
The president, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, believed Awolowo’s unanimous election was testament to the confidence reposed in him, and in Nigeria, by Chief Executive Officers of TPOs in West Africa.
He urged Awolowo to serve to the best of his ability, and do the country proud.
Buhari noted that an ECOWAS TPO Network holds great possibilities for Nigeria and the sub-region in the areas of exchange of commercial information and business opportunities.
He expressed the hope that the domiciling of the Secretariat in Abuja would open vistas of opportunities for Nigeria.
The president wished Awolowo well in his new assignment, expressing confidence that Nigeria and ECOWAS would benefit a lot from his expertise in trade promotions.
July 16, 2021