ECOWAS exit: CSOs demand amicable solutions to impasse

Civil society organisations have called for amicable solutions to the political and economic impasse between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali, which has led to the expulsion of the three countries from the regional bloc by the leaders.

Tribune Online recalled that the three-led military governments of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS, accusing the regional bloc of becoming a threat to member states.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso “decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal” from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” a joint statement published on Sunday read.

Addressing a joint press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani of the the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Najatu Mohammed of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and West Africa Civil Society Forum’s (WACSOF) Kop’ep Dabugat, said it is completely disheartening to see leaders eschew the channel of diplomacy and dialogue to disintegrate the Community (ECOWAS) at a time the region is advancing discussions of a single market to further boost trade and development.

While calling on the military authorities in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to rescind their decisions to withdraw from ECOWAS because of obvious reasons and urgently roll out transition plans that clearly reactivate return to civil rule and quick restoration of democratic orders, they urged leaders of ECOWAS in the interest of sustaining a peaceful, united and prosperous economic bloc to continue to operate under principles that made the region a template for best practices in fostering regional integration in Africa.

“The civil societies have been engaging constructively with ECOWAS. In the past, several interventions we’re carried out by civil societies to ensure peaceful transition in many countries in West Africa including attempts by some of the Heads of State in West Africa to engage in tenure elongation.

Civil society organisations have played vital roles in terms of helping to restore democratic order in various counties and therefore since the beginning of this crisis in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, civil society organisations in West Africa and Nigeria have been working very hard to ensure that we restore democratic order in those countries because we believe democracy still present a better option where people can elect their leaders not being imposed by anybody.

So it is in this context given the stalemate, given the problem between ECOWAS and some of the member states inform that it is important that civil societies to intervene because we believe that the more ECOWAS is united, the more ECOWAS is progressively advancing democracy, the more ECOWAS is also working towards ensuring that the freedom that we have achieved through free movement would help in terms of ensuring proper integration of the West African states.

“So, we call on the military authority in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in the spirit of fairness, transparency and accountability to recuse themselves from transmuting from military to civil rulers. This is particularly pertinent as failure to do so would signal among the people and the world that the only intention of the junta was to grab power.

“CISLAC also call on the leaders of ECOWAS and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all other West African countries to remove all inhumane sanctions against the Republic of Niger and any of the above-mentioned countries which has caused hardship to the people of the country especially women and other vulnerable groups. It is imperative to recall the commitment of member states not to attack one another through non-aggression treaty signed in 1976. Attack must not only be seen in the form of military engagement.

“The leaders of the ECOWAS in the interest of sustaining a peaceful, united and prosperous economic bloc must continue to operate under the principles that made the region a template for best practices in fostering regional integration in Africa.”