President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described the coup carried out in Guinea on Sunday, September 5, 2021, as a violation of the Economic Community of West African States Charter of Good governance.
In his opening remarks at the virtual emergency ECOWAS SUmmit, President Akufo-Addo who is also the Chair of ECOWAS said the emergency summit was necessary considering the situation in Guinea.
Chapter two, Article 4 (J) of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty adopted in Abuja, Nigeria states: “The high contracting parties, in pursuit of the objectives stated in Article 3 of this Treaty, solemnly affirm and declare their adherence to the following principles:
(J) “Promotion and consolidation of a democratic system of governance in each Member State as envisaged by the Declaration of Political Principles adopted in Abuja on 6 July 1991”.
He said the coup in Guinea was regrettable and needed urgent solutions.
The President said the emergency meeting that had brought the heads of state of ECOWAS was about the regrettable and unfortunate situation that had taken place in Guinea. It is to discuss our response to this clear violation of our common charter of good governance of the ECOWAS Region and what, therefore, decisions we want to take in response,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the soldiers who seized power in Guinea have consolidated their takeover with the installation of army officers at the top of Guinea’s eight regions and various administrative offices.
Coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former officer in the French Foreign Legion, in an address said a “new era for governance and economic development”. But he has not yet explained exactly what this will entail, or given a timeframe.
“The government to be installed will be that of national unity and will ensure this political transition,” he stated.
Article 45 of ECOWAS states how countries that stage coups should be sanctioned.
Read the provisions below
In the event that democracy is abruptly brought to an end by any means or where there is massive violation of Human Rights in a Member State, ECOWAS may impose sanctions on the State concerned.
2. The sanctions which shall be decided by the Authority, may take the following forms, in increasing order of severity:
- Refusal to support the candidates presented by the Member State concerned for elective posts in international organizations;
- Refusal to organize ECOWAS meetings in the Member State concerned;
- Suspension of the Member State concerned from all ECOWAS decisionmaking bodies. During the period of the suspension the Member State shall be obliged to pay its dues for the period.
3. During the period of suspension, ECOWAS shall continue to monitor, encourage and support the efforts being made by the suspended Member State to return to normalcy and constitutional order.
4. On the recommendation of the Mediation and Security Council, a decision may be taken at the appropriate time to proceed as stipulated in Article 45 of the Protocol of 10th December 1999 .
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
