Nigerian President Bola Tinubu arrives at the Global Finance Summit in Paris on June 23, 2023 (POOL/AFP/Lewis Joly)
West African heads of state on Sunday chose new Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to lead their regional bloc ECOWAS next year, replacing Bissau-Guinean leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
Speaking at a summit in Bissau after being named president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Tinubu said democracy was “the best form of government”, although she is “very difficult to manage”.
“We need it to be an example for the rest of Africa and the world,” he said.
“We will not allow coup after coup in West Africa,” he added.
Three ECOWAS members (Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso) have suffered five coups since 2020.
Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, urged the juntas in these countries to respect the agreed deadlines to hand over power to civilian leaders.
“In the event that the time allotted for the transition fails, major sanctions may fall,” he said.
On Saturday, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) agreed to lift the suspension of Mali from its organs and institutions, decided in January 2022 to sanction the intention of the junta to remain in power for several years.
ECOWAS had also imposed a series of measures against the Sahel state, but lifted them in July 2022 after the junta agreed to a transition in March 2024.
On Sunday, Omar Alieu Touray said ECOWAS had set up a commission to examine security options in Mali, as the United Nations winds down its peacekeeping mission there, which lasted for ten years.
“This commission has 90 days to reflect and make proposals,” he said.
Mali has been in the grip of a deep security crisis since 2012, fueled by jihadist and separatist groups or proclaimed self-defense. Starting in the north, it spread to the center of the country and to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Tinubu, who was sworn in as president of Africa’s largest economy in May, said ECOWAS members would pursue “inclusive” economic integration over the coming year.
“We should warn the exploiters that our people have suffered enough,” he said on Sunday. “I am with you, and Nigeria, we are back.”
© 2023 AFP
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