July 08, (THEWILL) – Junta leaders vow to stay away from the Community
Insist new alliance will defend, protect interest of the 3 countries
President Bola Tinubu was on Sunday re-elected to serve another year as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) amid plans by the junta leaders in Burkin-Faso, Niger and Mali to stay away from the regional body.
The junta leaders of Burkina -Faso of Burkina- Faso, Mali and Niger, namely, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, Col. Assimi Goïta and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani had held what seemed like a pre-emptive meeting on Saturday, July, 6, 2024 in their first summit in Niamey, the capital of Niger, after their withdrawal from the Community in January this year, the formation of Alliance of Sahel States in September 2023 and vowed not to return to the regional body.
Gen. Tchiani said after their meeting that, “We are going to create an AES of the peoples, instead of an ECOWAS whose directives and instructions are dictated to it by powers that are foreign to Africa.” His Burkina Faso counterpart, Capt. Traoré, concured and accused foreign countries of exploiting Africa.
He said, “Westerners consider that we belong to them and our wealth also belongs to them. They think that they are the ones who must continue to tell us what is good for our states. This era is gone forever; our resources will remain for us and our populations.”
“The attack on one of us will be an attack on all the other members,” said Mali’s leader, Col. Assimi Goïta, who was elected as the new alliance’s leader. They signed a pact on the creation of a regional parliament and a bank similar to those operated by ECOWAS. Undaunted by this challenge the Nigerian leader whose re-election was seen as a vote of confidence in his leadership, accepted the task of his re-election, promising to do his utmost best.
Speaking at the end of the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, President Tinubu said, “I accepted to continue in the service with great members and great minds that are committed to democratic values and journey for us in the region. I’ll continue my utmost best to serve our interests and build on the democratic values and the structure that we inherited.”
In response to the threat by the Junta, the regional group appointed Senegalese President, Bassirou Faye, as Special Envoy of the ECOWAS Commission to mediate with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger who had announced their exit from the community.
President Faye will be assisted by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar. “Having a new mandate, I will request Faye of Senegal to please become our special envoy alongside Tuggur, to do round-the-clock work with our brothers and Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and coordinate with me, if necessary, and with the commission,” President Tinubu said.
Earlier, President Tinubu urged member states to honour their financial obligations to enable ECOWAS to meet the expectations and recommendations of its Ministers of Defense and Finance, believing that fulfilling these commitments will help stabilise the region and counter insecurity.
“Let me underscore that a peaceful and secure society is essential for achieving our potential. As we move to operationalise the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasise that the success of this plan requires, not only strong political will but also substantial financial resources.
“We must, therefore, ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our Ministers of Defense and Finance in order to counter the insecurity and stabilise our region. Member states must make extra commitment to providing resources for stabilising the region.
“To this end, I urge ECOWAS to leverage the capability of the Nigeria National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), which is widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.
“The Nigerian government has decided to declare the NCTC as a regional centre to enable all ECOWAS member states to benefit from capacity building and other related opportunities it offers.
“Your Excellencies, dear Heads of State, I urge those of you with time to visit the centre before your departure and assess first-hand the facilities and the capabilities of NCTC,” he said.
President Tinubu also urged ECOWAS member states to unite and develop innovative approaches to unlock the region’s economic potential and promote prosperity. He acknowledged the economic hurdles hindering progress and stressed the need for partnerships, investment, and infrastructure development.
Addressing the financial challenges facing ECOWAS, he urged member states to comply with the protocol on community levies to ensure adequate resources for the organisation’s programmes, assuring of Nigeria’s commitment not to default on its own financial commitments.
“I’m also fully aware of other challenges confronting our region, especially the economic hurdles that hinder our progress to elevate our people from poverty to prosperity. It is imperative that we unite as a community and develop innovative approaches to unleash our vast economic potential.
“I also acknowledge the financial challenges of our organisation. Difficult economic conditions and consistent payment of financial commitment to ECOWAS have contributed to the current plight. To ensure ECOWAS has adequate resources for its programmes and activities, I urge all member states to ensure full compliance with the protocol on the community levy.
“Nigeria, under my leadership, is committed to leading by example by remitting its collected levies to the organisation,” he said. On his part, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, said the region has proven that democracy is alive given the successful transition in Senegal, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia, in recent times.
He added: “We look forward to the consolidation of this trend in the region as we prepare for a major election in Ghana later this year.” He, however, warned that the region was still being confronted with multidimensional challenges that the region faces, which seem to overshadow the modest achievements of the region.
He said: “Our region is still confronted with multiple interlocking threats, including existential works. These include climatic and man-made crises, leading to terrorism, violent extremism and food insecurity. Livelihoods continued to be threatened by illegal and unsustainable exploitation of our land, forest and marine resources.
“Governance deficit and marginalisation have strained social contracts, engendering bitter rivalries and unhealthy competition. To complicate the situation, our region has become the arena of geo-strategic and geo-political rivalries and the theatre of misinformation and disinformation that engenders mistrust among and within communities and undermines social cohesion.” Touray also informed the gathering that the Commission has commenced preparation towards the 50th-anniversary celebration of the regional body. The Commission, he said, is proposing a Special Extra-ordinary Summit on the future of the Community.
