The West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday threatened to impose “targeted sanctions” on individuals or groups obstructing Guinea-Bissau’s return to civilian rule following last month’s military coup.
The warning came as regional leaders gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, for a biannual summit dominated by recent threats to democratic governance, including the successful coup in Guinea-Bissau and a failed putsch in neighbouring Benin.
“The authorities shall impose targeted sanctions on individuals or groups of persons that obstruct the transition process,” ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray told reporters at the close of the summit.
Touray added that the ECOWAS peacekeeping force deployed in Guinea-Bissau since 2022 had been authorised to provide protection for political leaders and national institutions in the coup-prone country.
The twin disruptions to civilian rule, last month’s coup in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted takeover in Benin a week earlier have unsettled the bloc, which strongly condemned both incidents during the meeting.
Following the failed coup in Benin, Nigeria deployed fighter jets and troops alongside forces from Côte d’Ivoire to support the civilian government. ECOWAS said additional troops from Ghana and Sierra Leone were also en route.
ECOWAS has been grappling with a wave of military takeovers since 2020, with Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger still under junta rule.
Sahel security on agenda
Although the summit was convened before the most recent coup attempts, developments in Guinea-Bissau and Benin dominated discussions, alongside Guinea’s December 28 elections.
In Guinea, junta leader Mamady Doumbouya contested the polls despite a previous pledge not to run, while exiled opposition leader and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo was barred from participating.
Despite concerns, Touray said ECOWAS viewed the elections as “significant progress” in the country’s transition process, expressing hope that the vote would be credible, transparent, and fair.
Regional leaders also discussed worsening security in the Sahel, where jihadist insurgencies continue to plague Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
The three countries, now under military rule, have withdrawn from ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Touray last week called for dialogue with the bloc on shared security challenges.
“No border can insulate us from violence,” said Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, who currently holds ECOWAS’s rotating chairmanship.
The heads of state of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, both suspended from ECOWAS following their military takeovers, did not attend the summit.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu was also absent and was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Beyond coups, ECOWAS leaders noted growing concerns over democratic backsliding in the region. In October, Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara secured a controversial fourth term in elections that excluded key opposition figures.
AFP
