Yesterday in Nigeria, presidents and their deputies from all over West Africa got together. The main topic of their regional meeting was two recent efforts to take over a government.
A successful coup in Guinea-Bissau in November and a failed one in Benin last week have shaken ECOWAS, the regional group, according to AFP.
Between 2020 and 2023, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger all had coups that affected the group, and all of these countries are still under army control.
“Regional solidarity has been made clear in the last few weeks,” said ECOWAS commission president Alieu Touray at the start of a heads of state meeting in Abuja.
The meeting took place at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja and was planned before the two recent coup attempts, which are now a major topic of discussion.
According to the program, the presidents who met were going to talk about “the situation in the Republic of Benin” and a recent ECOWAS trip to Guinea-Bissau.
“Update on the transition process” in Guinea and steps to make trade more free were also on the list of things to do.
Also, the Sahel’s safety is on the top list. Jihadist groups are fighting against the governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
The three countries left ECOWAS and formed their own group, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), while under junta rule.
Touray asked for talks with the AES over common security issues last week as the violence keeps spreading to the south.
Julius Bio, President of Sierra Leone and present holder of ECOWAS’s rotating chair, said Sunday, “No border can insulate us from violence.”
The leaders of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau were not at the meeting because they were suspended after their countries’ militaries took over.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu wasn’t there, but Vice President Kashim Shettima was there instead.
Besides armed takeovers, democratic backsliding has also hurt civilian governments in West Africa.
In October, the Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara was chosen to a fourth term, with his opponents not allowed to participate in the election.
Coup: Tinubu wants West Africa to work together to deal with problems.
President Bola Tinubu has called for unity and action to fight the problems facing West Africa, like terrorism, violent extremism, and coups.
Channels TV reports that this was from the welcome speech given by Vice President Kashim Shettima. He spoke on behalf of President Tinubu at the 68th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government. It was held at the State House Conference Centre.
Tinubu said that no country can get security on its own. He told everyone there that Nigeria is committed to working together to protect the region’s future.
In his opening speech, Julius Bio, President of Sierra Leone and Chairman of ECOWAS, also called for people to work together, saying that we need to share information and work together on border control.
Bio criticized the illegal changes of government in Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Benin but praised ECOWAS’s quick response, led by Nigeria, to restore constitutional order.
He stressed that the area needs real leaders and a system where officials can be held responsible for their actions in order to be stable.
He said that starting in January 2026, the community will put into place a historic step to make it easier to move, work, and include everyone in the area by making air travel cheaper across West Africa.
As part of this deal, member states will get rid of air travel taxes and lower the costs of security and passenger fees by 25%.
The meeting happened after a successful coup in Guinea-Bissau in November, and a failed attempt at a military takeover in Benin a week ago has shaken ECOWAS, the regional group.
Between 2020 and 2023, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger all had coups that affected the group, and all of these countries are still under army control.
“Regional solidarity has been made clear in the last few weeks,” said ECOWAS commission president Alieu Touray at the start of a heads of state meeting in Abuja.
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