ECOWAS calls for ‘transparent investigation’ into violence in Guinea-Bissau

The Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) this Sunday called for a “transparent investigation into the events” that the President of Guinea-Bissau considers a coup d’état, announcing the extension of the mandate of the mission in the Portuguese-speaking region. a country.

“ECOWAS strongly condemns the violence that erupted on December 1 and all attempts to undermine the constitutional order and the rule of law, and commends the actions of the loyal members of the security forces, expressing full solidarity with the people of Guinea-Bissau” This is stated in the final communiqué of the Abuja summit.

The ECOWAS summit took place this Sunday in the Nigerian capital and mainly addressed “the persistent challenges of insecurity and instability caused by terrorism, transnational criminal organizations and unconstitutional changes in government.”

In a statement read at the end of the meeting of heads of state, ECOWAS “expresses deep concern at the recent events in Guinea-Bissau and the threat they pose to the constitutional order” and therefore “calls for full respect for the national Constitution and calls for a transparent, law-abiding investigation into the events and rapid resumption of work of all national institutions.”

In a statement addressing the situation in each of the fifteen countries of this group, ECOWAS also said that the leadership of this regional bloc had been asked to “extend the mandate of the mission to support stabilization in Guinea-Bissau,” in addition to “reviewing the mandate of the mission,” the terms of which were not disclosed.

The ECOWAS summit, which concluded this evening in Abuja, substantively addressed the issue of security in the region, in particular the coups d’état that began in recent years, and is preparing to hold an extraordinary summit on the issue of unconstitutional regime change.

“We reaffirm our commitment to promoting democracy, peace and the rule of law and call on members to implement the ECOWAS mechanisms for conflict prevention, security and peacekeeping, as well as the additional protocol on democracy and good governance,” it said. representative of the member states present at the meeting, who also announced that the Commission had been asked to “conduct deep reflection and explore the possibility of convening an extraordinary summit on unconstitutional changes in government.”

Of the fifteen member countries of ECOWAS, four are governed by military leaders who came to power through coups d’état since 2021: Mali (2021), Guinea-Conakry (2021), Burkina Faso (2022) and Niger (2023). The French news agency France-Presse (AFP) emphasizes that these countries are not represented at the summit and that Niger’s exiled Prime Minister Ohumudou Mahamadou was invited to attend to demonstrate the strong position of the regional bloc in the face of the military regime ruling in Niamey.

The ECOWAS summit comes days after Guinea-Bissau’s president decided on Monday to dissolve parliament following clashes between the National Guard and members of the Presidential Palace Battalion, which he described as a coup.

Guinea-Bissau, a Portuguese-speaking country of two million people, is one of the poorest in the world. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country has experienced periods of instability, marked by coup attempts.

ECOWAS includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo.