OFFERS LIBERIA’S HELP TO MEDIATE
Monrovia, Liberia – At the ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has backed the lifting of sanctions against Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in order to foster peace and prevent the three member states of the regional organization from executing their threats to leave the organization.
Liberia’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS and Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh, made the President’s Special Statement on his behalf, according to a press statement from the Embassy of Liberia in Abuja.
“I wish to extend to you, Mr. Chairperson, and all Excellencies Heads of State and Government, my heartfelt appreciation for your steadfast leadership in ably running the affairs of our enviable regional body, ECOWAS. Let me extend my apologies for being unable to join you at this important summit due to prior unavoidable national engagements at this time. Please accept my thanks and gratitude for my recent inauguration in Monrovia, Liberia, as the 26th President of the Republic of Liberia and for your commendation of Liberia for fostering democracy in our region. Excellencies, let me inform you that my administration has unveiled Liberia’s new, sustainable development agenda of implementing sustainable development programs in Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism for the elevation of the standard of living of the Liberian people.”
“I look forward to collaborating with you, Mr. Chairperson, and all Excellencies and our development partners in implementing these programs within the context of ECOWAS Vision 2050, “ECOWAS of the Peoples: Peace and Prosperity for All. Excellencies, Liberia takes note of the Memorandum on Political, Security, and Peace in Our Region presented by His Excellency, the President of the ECOWAS Commission. Liberia is concerned about the spectre of events threatening the unity and prosperity of ECOWAS.”
President Boakai further stated that Liberia pays particular attention to the open letter from General Dr. Yakubu Gowon, GCFR, the former head of state of Nigeria, to the heads of state and government of ECOWAS member states, dated February 13, 2024. In that letter, Gowon suggested that ECOWAS sanctions against Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger be lifted in exchange for the removal of their exit notices from the organization.
“Excellencies, as we are aware, His Excellency Dr. General Gowon is a founding member of ECOWAS. His doctrine of regional unity is rooted in the notion of community solidarity,which encompasses the social and cultural links of the people of West Africa. These principles were uppermost in the minds of the founding fathers of ECOWAS, including Liberia’s President, His Excellency William R. Tolbert, Jr., and Togolese President, His Excellency Gnassingbe Eyadema, with whom and other Heads of State, he collaborated to establish the regional body in 1975. Therefore, his views on ECOWAS matters, as the only surviving member of the founding fathers of ECOWAS, are of considerable importance to Liberia.”
The Liberian Leader noted that given the severe regional, political, security, and socio-economic implications of the withdrawal of the three Member States from ECOWAS presented by the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial Level on February 8, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria, it is important urgently to put a mechanism in place to ensure the continued membership of the three Member States in ECOWAS.
“Therefore, the lifting of sanctions on Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, to ensure their commitments to the roadmaps already being negotiated by ECOWAS for their return to constitutional democracies would be necessary to retain the sanctity of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democratic and Good Governance, which is the fulcrum for the maintenance of peace and security in the ECOWAS region. In view of the above, and considering the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and to prevent a floodgate of future unconstitutional changes of government in the region through military coup d’états, Liberia supports the General Gowon Proposal of lifting sanctions on our three member states and encourages them to join the negotiating table to recommit themselves to their roadmaps for the holding of democratic elections and the return to constitutional democracies as soon as practicable.”
As per the benevolent proposition, President Boakai suggests forming a Committee of Eminent Statespersons, comprising of past or present Heads of State, and the current mediators in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The Committee’s task would be to interact with the three Member States regarding the procedures for rescinding their exit notices in accordance with Article 97 of the ECOWAS Treaty.
“Let me express that I would be honoured to use my good offices to serve as a member of the proposed “ECOWAS Eminent Statespersons Mediation Committee” and to provide Liberia’s unflinching support in other ways deemed necessary to achieve peace and prosperity in our region.”
