Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), meeting yesterday in Accra, have decided not to impose new sanctions on Burkina Faso where soldiers took power on January 24, 2022.
Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission, told reporters in Accra that the junta had been cooperative since they took over, having lifted the curfew imposed on the nation and agreeing to release President Marc Roch Christian Kabore, who has given indication that he has voluntarily resigned.
According to the ECOWAS Commission boss, the leadership has also asked the Burkinabe junta to propose a clear and prompt timetable that would return the nation to constitutional order.
He said maximum pressure was not being put on the junta because there was need to deploy diplomatic options before moving up the scale to tighter sanctions.
“We will quickly ask the Burkinabe authorities to propose a clear and rapid timetable for a return to constitutional order,” he had told diplomats.
During a first virtual summit held after the putsch in Ouagadougou, West African leaders decided to suspend Burkina Faso from the authorities of ECOWAS and to send two missions there, one military, the other ministerial.
“Frank discussions”
The Accra summit, where the Heads of State were physically present, heard the report of the participants in these missions who had met the new strongman of Burkina Faso, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Before leaving Ouagadougou on Monday, Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey spoke of “frank discussions” and found the junta” very open to suggestions and proposals ” from ECOWAS.
With other members of the delegation, she had been able to meet the ousted president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, placed under house arrest and who, they said, was doing ” very well“, and [Kabore] demanding his release.
Last week, in his only public statement since taking power, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba assured that his country, plagued by regular jihadist attacks since 2015, that he needed its international partners “more than ever in fighting the jihadist scourge”.
In the wake of Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso has been caught in a spiral of jihadist violence since 2015, which has left at least 2,000 dead in nearly seven years and more than 1.5 million displaced.
Decisive steps
Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Chairman, President Nana Akufo-Addo, has charged colleague Heads of State to take decisive steps to address the trend of coup d’etats witnessed in the sub-region.
He made the call yesterday during an Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State at Kempinski Hotel in Accra.
According to him, swiftly addressing the challenging security situation in the sub-region will preserve democracy and freedom in West Africa.
“It is with a heavy heart that I welcome you all back to Accra after our virtual meeting last week. The resurgence of coup d’etat in our region is of grave concern. This evolution challenges the democratic way of life we have chosen. We need to stand firm to protect democracy and freedom in our region.
Let us address this dangerous trend collectively and decisively before it devastates the whole region,” he said.
The Extraordinary Summit focused on the emerging trends in the region that stems from the military interference in Mali and its contagious influence in Guinea and Burkina Faso.
President Akufo-Addo applauded the President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, for preventing an overthrow orchestrated by the military.
“Fortunately, the attempt two days ago to overthrow the democratically elected government of Umaro Sissoco Embalo in Guinea Bissau by a military coup failed. I speak for all of us when I applaud President Embalo for sustaining the validity of the democratic institutions of the Republic of Guinea Bissau,” he stated.
President Akufo-Addo also commended the African Union (AU) for suspending Burkina Faso, and called for international collaboration in halting the political turbulence in Africa.
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