The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its institutional heads are disturbed by the increasing level of political instability, insecurity and humanitarian crisis bedeviling member countries of the regional bloc.
This was the focus of the First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament, which opened in Abuja, the Nigerian capital on Monday as stakeholders brainstormed to find lasting solutions to the myriad of crises troubling the region.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, described the situation as worrisome even as he assured that the region is making great efforts to address the crisis.
Touray was making inference from the military takeover of governments in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso amid other issues such as poor infrastructure.
According to Touray, “The situation in our region remains worrisome. Nonetheless, we are deploying all resources to ensure stability, security, and resilience in our member states.”
He vowed that the Commission will continue to support member states in transition, particularly Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea, for a return to normal constitutional order.
“We have also been mobilising international support for Burkina Faso and Mali to fight terrorism and address humanitarian crises. We also continue to support elections in our member states, both as a conflict prevention measure and as a support to our democratization process,” Touray also said.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Mohamed Tunis in his address said the Parliament expressed concerns at the pace at which the transitional processes are unfolding in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.
The Speaker also said the Parliament is equally worried about the proliferation of terrorist activities in the Sahel, which has resulted in the killings of innocent lives.
“It is expected that the President of the ECOWAS Commission, during the presentation of his report, would kindly provide detailed explanations on these issues to inform Parliament’s position.
“Additionally, we are closely following events in Sierra Leone and Liberia, as they prepare to hold Presidential and Legislative elections in June and October respectively,” Tunis said.
Tunis however proffered solutions to securing a better region for present and future generations of ECOWAS citizens.
“First, we have a responsibility to foster peace in our region which can only be possible by supporting the structures and respecting the policies and protocols we already have.
“Second, collective and immediate actions are needed to tackle the challenges we have, including poverty, inequality, climate change and a host of others.
“And third, we owe to one another, mutual accountability in our pursuit of solutions to our looming challenges. The application of these principles is critical to the advancement of humanity. I hope we can find these very useful and work in concert for the good of our region and the world,” Tunis also said.
