THE Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government has sustained the measures earlier imposed on the Republic of Guinea, including its suspension from the regional body.
At the third Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, and chaired by the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, leaders of the region also slammed similar sanctions on the Transitional Government in the Republic of Mali.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the summit, which was convened to discuss political developments in Guinea and Mali, where the military had forcefully taken over governments.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, the summit called on other international bodies to support the implementation of the sanctions.
The communique, issued at the end of the summit, stated that “the Authority decides to uphold the suspension of the Republic of Guinea from all ECOWAS governing bodies as well as the travel ban and freeze on financial assets imposed on the members of the CNRD and their family members until constitutional order is restored” in the country.
Similarly, regarding Mali, the ECOWAS leaders resolved that in “conformity with the decision taken on September 16, 2021, the authority decides to impose sanctions with immediate effect against individuals and groups who have been identified, including the entire transition authorities and the other transition institutions.
“These sanctions will also be imposed on the members of their families. The sanctions include a travel ban and a freeze on their financial assets. It further instructs the President of the Commission to consider and propose additional sanctions at its next Ordinary Session on December 12, 2021, should the situation persist.”
The ECOWAS Summit attended by leaders from 13 countries then called “on the African Union, the United Nations, and the bilateral and other multilateral partners to endorse and support the implementation of these sanctions.”
Speaking to the media at the end of the summit, Osinbajo noted that African countries have gone far beyond military coup as a means of changing political actors and that coups are unacceptable.
He added that ECOWAS Heads of State and Government would continue to prevail on the military juntas in Guinea and Mali to return their countries to democratic rule.
According to the VP, “one of the important points that the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government make is that coups and coups de’tat generally are just completely unacceptable….and that we cannot continue to have a situation where they are tolerated for the simple reason that in Africa, West Africa in particular, we’ve gone way beyond military coups as an answer to the question of change in political actors.
“There is a very strong feeling amongst the Heads of State that we must insist that other international bodies: the UN, EU, and other regional groups must support the impositions of sanctions on individuals and groups that choose not to follow the democratic process of change of government and choose to go by way of coup de‘tat.”
Referring to the situations in Guinea and Mali, the Vice President said “it appears from all indications that much progress has been made in Guinea, although we are still concerned that there ought to be much more clarity on transition.
“But Mali is a much more difficult situation; there is much concern because very little progress had been made.”
President of Ghana and Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had earlier briefed the meeting on the outcome of a high-powered delegation led by himself to Guinea and Mali on the 17th of September and the 17th of October, as part of the resolutions of the previous Summit held on the 16th of September this year.
At the end of the Extraordinary Summit, the ECOWAS communique stated that “the Authority endorsed the main recommendations contained in the memorandum on the political situation in the Republic of Guinea and the report on the political situation in the Republic of Mali.”
The Vice President was accompanied to the Extraordinary Summit by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd) and the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu.
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