Chairperson of the of the Economic
Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government and the
Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has issued deadline for the
resolution of the political logjam in Gambia.
In her address at the 50th Ordinary
Session of the Authority and Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in Abuja,
she noted that the progress made by the ECOWAS Mission led by her to Gambia on
December 13, to mediate in the logjam was successful, but stressed that the
will of the people as expressed through their votes in the December 1, must be
respected.
Gambia had conducted a presidential
election on December 1, which saw the opposition candidate, Adama Barrow
defeating the incumbent president, Yahya Jammeh. Shortly after the election the
incumbent president conceded defeat. However, on December 10, Jammeh rescinded
his concession and called for a fresh election.
The ECOWAS Mission led by Sirleaf, comprising Presidents John Mahama, Muhammadu Buhari and Ernest Bai Koroma, accompanied by Dr. Mohamed Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to West Africa and the Sahel, met with all the parties in Banjul on December 13, to ensure that the will of the people was respected.
But Sirleaf has called for the
resolution of the political impasse before January 19, the date for the
inauguration of the new government. She said: “It is now important that the
Authority, at this Summit, considers recommended measures to bring this matter
to successful conclusion before January 19, the constituted date when the
mandate of the incumbent President expires.”
On security in the sub-region, Sirleaf
expressed concern on the recurring terrorist attacks on civilians and the
military by the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin.
She said: “We remain very concerned
about the Boko Haram recurring attacks in Nigeria and other countries of the
Lake Chad Basin. There is equal concern regarding terrorist attacks on
civilians and military targets in Mali. The negative impact of these attacks
does not take away from the significant progress of President Kieta and his
government in the implementation of the Malian Peace and Reconciliation
Agreements.
“Moreover, the Chiefs of Defence Staff
at recent regional meetings have formulated strategic security interventions to
address these terrorist activities.
“Another challenge in the region is the
Transhumance security, which has resulted in the loss of lives and negative
impact on regional food security. I am pleased that the Commission has taken
the necessary actions to address this challenge from a human security
perspective.
“In this regard, the Authority expects
an integrated approach, which will support the Commission’s efforts at
deepening Regional Livestock Movement Management Control System, noting that
the Nigerian approach to managing its Transhumance challenges is a model that
can be shared at bilateral levels with other Member States encountering the
same problems.”
Reacting to President Muhammadu
Buhari’s call for reduction in the cost of governance across the regional
body’s institution, she said president of the ECOWAS Commission is already
taking firm action to rationalise the structure of the commission, and to
contain cost through more efficient financial management and effective use of
resources consistent with the current economic situation.
President Buhari had called for a
reduction in the cost of governance across all the regional body’s
institutions, as part of the effort to halt the current global economic crisis.
In his welcome address, he stressed
that it was imperative that measures be urgently taken to review the ECOWAS
Treaty. This, according to him, is in order to make the regional body
responsive to new national, regional and global challenges.
He also called on the regional leaders
to make deliberate efforts to improve on governance and accountability at all
levels, while ensuring the implementation of development programmes and schemes
in their respective countries.
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