The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has advised three military-ruled West African nations that recently announced their exit from the community to reconsider their decision.
During an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Commission on the region’s political, peace, and security situation, held at the State House in Abuja, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, serving as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, emphasized the importance of cooperation among member states.
He urged departing countries not to perceive the organization as an adversary.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three of the nations currently under military rule in the West African region, had on January 28, 2024, announced their withdrawal of their membership of the ECOWAS organization, alleging that the regional body had come under foreign influence, had turned it into a threat to member-states.
The trio had on the 16th of September, 2023, announced the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States, a counter-regional organization, said to be a mutual defense pact among the countries.
Guinea, another member-state of the ECOWAS organization, which has been under a military rule since September 2021, also experienced a panic incidence on Monday when its Military Ruler, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, dissolved his cabinet and ordered borders shut.
The three nations had lost their democratically elected governments to coup d’etat, a development rejected by the ECOWAS Authority and led to the body announcing sanctions against the military juntas in the countries.
However, reading his welcome address on Saturday, President Tinubu emphasized the reason for the entire region to continue to stand together, collaborating on economic integration, democracy, and human rights, with a view to achieving sustainable development across the region.
President Tinubu remarked that the outcome of the meeting would be guided by the memorandum to be presented by the chairman of ECOWAS Commission who would give the leaders and update on the situation in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, three countries that recently announced their pull out from the bloc.
“Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Distinguished Guests, let me underscore that these challenges, though daunting, present an opportunity for ECOWAS to reaffirm its commitment to the vision of our founding fathers and the principles underpinning our commitment to peace, security, and regional integration. We must stand united in our resolve to promote economic integration, democracy, and human rights, with a view to fostering sustainable development across all our member states.
“Times like we currently face in our sub region demand that we take difficult but courageous decisions that put the plight of our people at the centre of our deliberations. Democracy is nothing more than the political framework and the path to addressing the basic needs and aspirations of the people.
“This is why we must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our Member States. I therefore urge them to re-consider the decision of the three of them to exit their home and not to perceive our organization as the enemy because we are not the enemy”, he said.
Other leaders present at the event were President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire; President of ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray; President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo: President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana;
Also at the summit were Vice President of the Gambia, Muhammad Jallow; President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic and President Umaro Embalo Siseco of Guinea Bissau.