Battered ECOWAS applies cosmetic make-up, By Owei Lakemfa

The spotlight of the Financial Group of West African States, ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of State and Authorities Summit of 15 December, was the formalisation of its break up. Three of the 15-Member nations, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic which are actually dominated by  army regimes, had given discover of withdrawal.

A few of us had hoped that whereas ECOWAS would acknowledge the three nations’ discover, it could stall for a political resolution. It needs to be a really critical concern for even one nation to depart, to not speak of three which is one fifth of your entire membership.

Sadly, the Heads of State went technical and formalised the withdrawal. They dominated that in accordance with Article 91 of ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993: “The three nations will formally stop to be members of ECOWAS from twenty ninth January 2025.”

The truth that solely seven of the 15 Heads of State attended the summit, didn’t dissuade it. Other than the three, Guinea, one other nation dominated by the army, didn’t attend, Sierra Leone was represented by its Vice President, Togo and Benin despatched Ministers, whereas Cape Verde despatched its ambassador in host nation, Nigeria.

To concretise the break up, the summit directed the ECOWAS President “to launch the withdrawal formalities after the deadline of twenty ninth January…”

It then directed the ECOWAS Council of Ministers to convene an Extraordinary Session through the second quarter of 2025 “to contemplate and undertake each the separation modalities and the contingency plan masking political and financial relations between ECOWAS and the Republic of Mali, the Republic of Niger and Burkina Faso.”

After taking these definitive and far- reaching choices, the Heads of State added an attention-grabbing decision: “The Authority decides to set the interval from twenty ninth January 2025 to twenty ninth July 2025 as a transitional interval and hold ECOWAS doorways open to the three nations.” 

 So why shut the home windows and doorways within the first place? Why didn’t the Presidents delay their determination to formalise the break up by this six-month interval? Is that this determination a sign of confusion, a revelation of inside contradictions or a tacit request for forgiveness by ECOWAS for pushing these nations to the exit door by making the army invasion of Niger its first choice slightly than dialogue?

 The fact is that the choice of the three nations to exit the ECOWAS  is primarily on account of its  gross mismanagement of the 26 July, 2023 coup in Niger Republic. Somewhat than dialogue with the coup plotters, ECOWAS, buoyed by Western  powers, instantly declared conflict.

At its further bizarre summit on 30 July, 2023, that’s 4 days after  the coup, ECOWAS Heads of State learn the riot act to the brand new leaders in Niger.

 They ordered the speedy give up of energy and reinstatement of former President Mohammed Bazoum,  closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS nations and Niger; establishment of ECOWAS no-fly zone on all business flights to and from Niger; suspension of all business and monetary transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger. Additionally they ordered a freeze of utility companies,  property of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks and  business banks, and suspension of Niger from all monetary help and transactions.

The ECOWAS leaders gave Niger one week inside which to conform or they might “take all measures essential to revive constitutional order within the Republic of Niger. Such measures could embody the usage of pressure…”. They then ordered the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Drive to “restore constitutional order  in Niger”.

4 days later, the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs met to work out invasion plans which they authorised at their August 17, 2023  assembly in Accra, Ghana.

Western powers overtly revealed that they have been behind the deliberate invasion. The German International Ministry in a press release declared: “Our aim is to revive the constitutional order.” French International Minister Catherine Colonna additionally gave Niger an order to both handover energy or face invasion by ECOWAS.

Nonetheless, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso rejected the invasion plans. The final two  on 18 August 18, 2023  issued a press release that: “Any army intervention towards Niger can be tantamount to a declaration of conflict towards Burkina Faso and Mali.” The groundswell of opposition, together with by the Nigerian individuals which shares borders with Niger and whose authorities was main the invasion plan, led to its abortion. The three nations  primarily out of protest, then gave discover of their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

Given this background, ECOWAS was this week, too  fast to formalise the separation. That is extra so when behind the powdered face it displayed at its summit, the regional physique is all battered. Other than the three which are leaving, one other member, Guinea, additionally run by the army, is clearly in mattress with them. This will have been chargeable for its absence on the ECOWAS Summit.

Three of the remaining eleven- member nations are run by civilian coup plotters who’ve subverted the constitutions of their nations and are operating authoritarian regimes no completely different  from army regimes besides that they put on fits slightly than army fatigue.

In Guinea Bissau, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, a retired Normal, in Could 2022 carried out a coup and dissolved parliament. In new parliamentary elections on June 4, 2023, he once more misplaced. So, on 4 December, 2023 he executed a second coup, dissolving parliament and subordinating the judiciary to his rule. This stays the state of affairs.

President Alssane Dramane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire after exhausting his two phrases in workplace, illegally awarded himself an unconstitutional third time period. Ivoriens who protested this illegality have been murdered on the streets.

President Faure Gnassingbe organised his first coup in 2005 after his father, Eyadema, a veteran coup plotter, died. After serving three phrases in workplace, he obtained the Togolese structure modified to be able to have two further phrases in workplace which might finish in 2030 by which period he would have been Togolese President for 25 years. Who is aware of, he could but attempt to equal his father‘s report who imposed himself as president for 38 years.

So, immediately, seven of the 15 ECOWAS Heads of State, are coup plotters. Subsequently, a main activity of ECOWAS is to not resolve which coup plotters are acceptable and which aren’t. Somewhat, it wants a normal restructuring in favour of democracy and a people-oriented regional physique.

ECOWAS additionally must align itself with the fundamental rules of sovereignty. It ought to know that its  endorsement of the West African Fuel Pipeline Venture in any other case referred to as the Nigeria-Morocco Fuel Pipeline Venture, is criminally unlawful because the pipeline passes by means of Western Sahara with out the consent of that nation which is a brother nation of the African Union, AU. At 49, ECOWAS is not a child.