The Fifth Extraordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, on the political situations in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso commenced on Friday, March 25, 2022 in Accra, Ghana, as leaders of the regional body continue to seek for ways of resolving problems in those countries.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is representing Nigeria at the summit, which will assess the progress made by Mali’s military leaders to return the country to democratic rule.
Vice President @ProfOsinbajo on behalf of President @MBuhari attends the 5th Extraordinary Summit of the Authority of @ecowas_cedeao Heads of State and Government on the political situations in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso in Accra, Ghana. pic.twitter.com/SzPIK6WbCF
— Government of Nigeria (@NigeriaGov) March 25, 2022
The leaders will receive a report from the ECOWAS mediator in Mali, Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, who visited Bamako between March 18 and 20 and met with the head of the military government in Mali.
The heads of state and government will also review issues in Guinea and Burkina Faso.
Having condemned the military takeover of government in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso and imposed sanctions on the military governments in those countries, the ECOWAS leaders, at their last meeting in February, affirmed that only democratically elected authorities in the region would be recognized and supported by the body.
Recalcitrant Members
In his opening remarks at the summit, Chairman of ECOWAS, President Nana Akufo-Addoh of Ghana, said that the meeting was convened “To take stock of where we are with our three recalcitrant member states, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso and take appropriate decisions on the way forward.”
President Akufo-Addoh said that the response of the leaders to the invitation to attend the summit at a short notice was “A clear indication of your determination to assume your responsibilities for the security of ECOWAS.”
The ECOWAS Mediator for Mali, former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria; President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Claude Kassi Brou; Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali, El-Ghassim Wane; and Special Representative of the President of the African Union Commission, Mamman Sambo Sidikou are among officials attending the meeting.
A communiqué is expected at the end of the meeting.
PIAK
