The ECOWAS 64th Session of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria, ended with a call on the military junta in Niger to accept a proposed transition plan put forward by the organisation or continue to face sanctions and the threat of force.
Deliberating on the region’s current political realities and the drawbacks for democracy and good governance, leaders of the Authority of Heads of State and Government directed the Commission to “undertake deep reflection with stakeholders on the relationships between electoral processes, democracy, and development and to make actionable recommendations on increasing the transparency and credibility of elections and the promotion of inclusive development and accountable governance.”
This was in line with the speech of the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, and Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, in which he implored West African leaders to prioritise good governance and collective prosperity as an essential tool to prevent authoritarian takeovers of power and unconstitutional changes of government in the region.
Addressing the high-powered regional gathering at the session, the President said “The delivery of good governance is not just a fundamental commitment; it is also an avenue to address the concerns of our citizens, to improve their quality of life, and create a stable environment conducive to the achievement of sustainable development.”
Prior to the commencement of the 64th Ordinary Session, a final communique of the 51st session of the mediation and security council at the Ministerial level had given the CNSP until December 24, 2023, to indicate its acceptance of the transition period.
The communique noted that, In the event of refusal, ECOWAS will maintain all sanctions imposed on Niger, including the use of force. This was also adopted by the final Communiqué at the end of the Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government.
ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Touray, said a delegation from Benin, Togo, and Sierra Leone would engage with the regime’s CNSP leadership to decide on progress towards a short transition and other conditions for lifting sanctions.
“Based on the outcomes of the engagement by the committee of heads of state with the CNSP, the authority will progressively ease the sanctions imposed on Niger,” Touray said at the closing of the summit.
“Failure by the CNSP to comply with the outcomes of engagement with the committee, ECOWAS shall maintain all sanctions.”
International focus on the July coup in Niger has seen immense pressure mounted on the military leadership to step down and release the detained former President Mohamed Bazoum and his family. The country had been a key Western partner in the fight against militants in the Sahel until recent demands by the junta for French troops based there to leave.
The fate of a large US military base in the country hangs in the balance as the junta appears to move towards the total expulsion of the country’s former Western military partners under the terms of its membership in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), an organisation President Tinubu, described as a phantom, push back-alliance “intended to divert attention from our mutual quest for democracy and good governance.”
Touray said ECOWAS recognised the “dire humanitarian” situation in Niger, but accused the rulers in Niamey of interfering with the flow of aid that was allowed into the country.
Recent talks have stalled over the military regime’s rejection of ECOWAS demands for Bazoum’s immediate release and return to power. The military rulers have kept the ousted president in detention and want up to three years for a transition back to civilian rule, a demand the regional body has out rightly rejected.
In an interview given to Niger Radio and Television (RTN), the Head of the military junta, General Abdourahamane Tiani, said on Sunday, December 10; that the release of Bazoum is impossible as it appears to be a ruse for an attack on the country. “We cannot release him knowing what France was preparing against our country”, he said.
On the efforts towards strengthening the democratic principle across the region, participants at the Ordinary Session also commended the efforts being made by member-states and the ECOWAS Commission towards the consolidation of democracy, peace, security, and stability in the region, giving special mention to the elections in Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
The participating leaders also reiterated their commitment to the promotion of peace, democracy, and good governance in the region, urging Member States “to uphold the tenets of the ECOWAS Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Security as well as the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.”
The Authority of Heads of State and Government further instructed the Commission to intensify consultations with member-states to finalise and present a draft Revised Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance that would be adopted.
The Commission was directed to embark on deep reflection and explore the possibility of an extraordinary Summit on Unconstitutional Changes of Government, as the need to address this growing phenomenon has become crucial to maintaining democratic governance in the region.
The summit also sought to find solutions to political bottlenecks within member-states. The regional body urged the government and stakeholders in the Gambia to expedite the adoption of a new Constitution, ahead of the 2026 general elections and implement the White Paper on the recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparation Commission, deciding to extend the mandate of the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) for one more year.
It also condemned the violence that erupted in Guinea-Bissau on 1st December 2023 that sought to disrupt the government and the attempted coup d’état in Sierra Leone on 26th November 2023, which led to loss of lives and destruction of property. It urged the conduct of a thorough and transparent investigation into the events, intending to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice.
