By Alpha Abu
ECOWAS Heads of State have in a communiqué unequivocally condemned the military coup in Guinea and warned “every necessary action will be taken to restore constitutional order in the country”. The leaders of the regional bloc who met in a video conference with Ghana’s President Addo Dankwa Akuff- Addo as Chairman, reaffirmed their opposition to the coup by Special Forces Commander Col. Mamady Doumbouya that removed civilian President Alpha Conde from power on Sunday 5 September 2021.
The Authority of Heads of State and Government attended by representatives of member states with 10 Heads of State in full attendance including President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, expressed solidarity with the Guinean people and asserted whatever action it took against the military Junta will be in conformity with the 16 member regional body’s Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Concerns at the session on Wednesday 8 September 2021 were expressed that the coup by the Guinean military could have consequences for regional peace and stability and the ECOWAS leaders demanded that Guinea’s “Defence and Security Forces maintain a constitutional posture”.
“The Authority demands respect for the physical safety of the President of the Republic and Head of State, H.E. Alpha Condé, and his immediate and unconditional release, as well as that of all arrested persons. It holds the coup plotters, under the aegis of the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development (CNRD), individually and collectively responsible for the physical safety of President Alpha Condé and the arrested persons”, the communiqué insists.
The session was attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission Jean-Claude Kassi Brou who presented a Memorandum on the political situation in Guinea. AU Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat and the Special representative of the United Nations Secretary General for West Africa, Mahamat Saleh Annadif also attended the session. The leaders concluded by saying they were actively following events in the country.
Alpha Conde was in his controversial third term and had faced criticisms over his decision last week to reduce the salaries of civil servants including the security sector by five percent whilst he reportedly increased those of his Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament. The coup leaders accused him of violating the constitution and of widespread corruption in his government. The coup has been condemned by the UN, AU and ECOWAS. The junta has faced threats of sanctions.
The West African leaders also discussed the transition process in Mali following a recent spate of coups, the first in August 2020 and another in May this year. They looked at the report of the follow-up mission on the political transition in Mali that was presented by the Mediator, the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. The Authority acknowledged the relative calm in the country, and the lifting of restrictive measures imposed on political figures of the former transitional administration, though concerns were raised over the detention of aging former Prime Minister Boubeye Maiga and other former senior government officials. Elections in Mali are scheduled for 22 February 2022.
Copyright © 2021 Politico (10/09/21)
