Concerned by the insecurity happening in West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has sought efforts and measures to tackle such challenges and maintain the integrity of the community.
President of ECOWAS Commission, Alieu Touray disclosed this at a brief session held in Addis Ababa with Ambassadors of ECOWAS Member States to Ethiopia and Permanent Representatives to the African Union on the current political and security situation in West Africa.
Touray who was represented by ECOWAS Commissioner of Political Affairs Peace and Security, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah briefed the Ambassadors on the relations between ECOWAS and Member States of the Alliance of Sahelian States (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger), as well as the political dynamics in ECOWAS Member States, geostrategic and geopolitical dynamics in West Africa and ECOWAS-AU relations in peace and security.
The ECOWAS Ambassadors seized the opportunity to raise many important issues affecting the region and to touch on dynamics at the African Union level.
The Ambassadors urged ECOWAS to intensify dialogue with the three Member States seeking withdrawal with a view to encouraging the latter to abandon their plan.
They stressed the negative impacts of this development on both parties, on the Community integration efforts and solidarity, the fight against terrorism, and ECOWAS’ voice at the AU Peace and Security Council.
On behalf of the ECOWAS Ambassadors, the Dean of the West African Diplomatic Corps in Ethiopia, Ghana’s Ambassador, H.E. Amma Twum-Amoah, expressed the Ambassadors’ appreciation to ECOWAS for the initiative and encouraged the Commission to regularise such informal interactions to update on ECOWAS initiatives in response to the dynamic developments in the region.
