By Politico staff writer
President Julius Maada Bio has in a meeting with other ECOWAS heads of states condemned any form of military coups in the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.
“Military take-overs violate ECOWAS, AU, and UN Resolutions. Sierra Leone therefore stands in solidarity with ECOWAS and calls for the restoration of constitutional order through inclusive, credible, and transparent elections in accordance with the provisions of prior resolutions on this matter,” he said.
President Bio was speaking in Accra, Ghana at the ECOWAS Extraordinary Session on the political situation in Mali.
He said while recalling the decisions of the last Summit, the Government of Sierra Leone had called for respect for the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Good Governance and Democracy that condemned unconstitutional political change.
“To that end, I urge the Authority of Heads of State and Government to intensify consultations and communications with all stakeholders at all levels. Mediation and conflict prevention are possible and should be pursued,” he said.
The President also noted that the meeting underscored the urgency of maintaining peace and stability in Mali, citing its critical implications for the stability of the entire ECOWAS region.
He added that indeed given the multidimensionality of the situation in the landlocked but eighth-largest country in Africa, the authority must know that they were not dealing with an exclusive Malian problem but an ECOWAS and an international problem.
Chairman, Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana, briefed his colleagues and delegates on the events and actions by the 15-member regional group, with a mandate of promoting economic integration in all fields of activity of the constituting countries, since the Transitional Government in Mali was installed on 18 August 2020.
“Your commitment and our collective determination have been the hallmark of our enviable success as a regional organization. I salute your steadfastness and determination. The current political impasse in Mali has again raised anxiety and shaken the hope of successful transition and political stability of the country,” he said.
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