The Economic Community of West African States, has vowed to slap targeted sanctions on ”individuals or groups of persons that obstruct the transition process.”
Emerging from the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja on Sunday, the bloc’s President, Omar Touray warned that punitive sanctions will be imposed on anyone who tries to impede the restoration of democratic governance in Guinea-Bissau.
Mr Touray told journalists that a firm stance was required by the bloc to fend off the trend endangering democracies in the region, the latest being a failed coup in memer country Benin one week earlier.
The frequency of coups had been the main focus of regional leader who met in Abuja to tackle the fall out from the insurrections in Benin and Guinea-Bissau happening barely 11 days of each other.
Regional leaders present in Abuja included Cape Verdean leader José Maria Neves, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, President Adama Barrow of The Gambia and Ghanaian leader John Mahama.
Research shows that there have been eight successful coups in six countries in the region since August 2020.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu told his peers that the bloc has to take bold and decisive action against unconstitutional military takovers which have blighted the region in recent years.
He described the trend as an evolving security threat which demands unity among member countries, coordination and a shared sense of responsibility.
Guinea-Bissau is the latest member under a military junta calling itself the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order.
It effectively annulled the electoral process following a dispute over the outcome of the November 23rd presdential elections.
Eventually ousted president Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló and his main opponent Fernando Dias main rival claims to have won the vote and plunged the country into an electoral crisis.
Sources say, Embalo who had fled into exile in Senegal, Republic of Congo and Morocco, and his entourage could be targeted with Ecowas sanctions if accusations about t hem orchestrating the Bissau coup were found to be credible.
Eleven days after events in Bissau, rebel soldiers led by Pascal Tigri claimed they had staged a successful coup against Beninese President Patrice Talon but were foiled a few hours later by loyalist forces with the help of neighbouring Nigeria who sent troops including fighter jets to thwart the putsch. Tigri, still at large, reportedly surfaced in Togo amid calls for his extradition to Benin to face treason charges.
These intervention come as Ecowas encountered challenges over the last three years, tackling post-coup situations in estranged member countries Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, who have since opted out of the bloc and formed their own Alliance of Sahel States.
Elsewhere in West Africa, Guinea is also still under military rule but hold on December 28, 2025 presidential election for the frst time since a September 2021 coup removed Alpha Conde and installed General Mamady Doumbouya as president.
WN/as/APA