The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed its deep gratitude to the Sierra Leonean government for allowing former President Ernest Bai Koroma to travel abroad for medical reasons.
In a statement, ECOWAS praised the “humanitarian gesture” as serving the “greater interest of Sierra Leone and the ECOWAS region.” The statement comes after a Sierra Leonean court authorised Koroma’s temporary travel on medical grounds earlier this week.
The former president of Sierra Leone faces charges of treason and other offenses related to his alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt in November 2023.
The ruling stipulates that Koroma, 70, can stay in Nigeria for not more than three months and must return to Sierra Leone for a court hearing in March.
ECOWAS, a regional bloc of 15 West African nations, had previously intervened in the situation, with presidents from Senegal and Ghana facilitating a deal for Koroma’s temporary exile in Nigeria.
This latest statement reinforces the regional body’s continued commitment to Sierra Leone’s stability and prosperity.
While the statement doesn’t explicitly mention the ongoing legal proceedings against Koroma, it emphasises ECOWAS’s “renewed commitment to supporting the government and the people of Sierra Leone in their efforts to foster peace and security as well as to deepen democracy and good governance.”
Meanwhile, the Sierra Leonean ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma was welcomed in Abuja last week Friday by ECOWAS Commission President Oumar Alieu Touray & former Vice President of ECOWAS Commission Madam Finda Koroma, among others.
Hauwa M.
