ECOWAS must admit failure for not stopping Conde’s 3rd term bid – Ablakwa

The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has expressed his disappointment with the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) handling of the Guinean political crisis.

He is of the view that ECOWAS is complicit in the entire situation in the West African country.

According to him, ECOWAS kept quiet and failed to advise the ousted Guinea President, Alpha Conde against contesting for a third term, a move that was in clear violation of the country’s constitution.

His comments come on the back of the six months ultimatum given to the coup leaders by ECOWAS to return the country to democratic rule after the September 5 ousting of President Alpha Condé.

ECOWAS also called on the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations, and other multilateral and bilateral partners to support the implementation of these sanctions.

The West Africa regional bloc also stressed that no member of the CNRD be allowed to contest in the presidential election if Guinea is returned to democratic rule.

However, Mr. Ablakwa in a Citi News interview said the approach by ECOWAS will not address the real issues that caused the coup.

According to him, the posture of the bloc sends a signal that they are in support of their fellows disrespecting the constitutions of their respective countries.

“ECOWAS continues to avoid the real issue. ECOWAS should have first admitted that they got it wrong and they failed to step in when Alpha Conde totally undermined the Guinean constitution and decided to run for a third term and it has still not taken responsibility for that complicity.”

“If you look at their actions and posture, it is sending a message that it doesn’t matter when these old men continue to undermine their respective constitutions and totally dissipate the hopes and aspirations of the people.”

About the coup
After gunfire in Guinea’s capital, a group of soldiers announced the dissolution of the constitution, the closure of the borders and a nationwide curfew in a broadcast on state TV on Sunday evening.

The soldiers, led by a Special Forces Colonel, Mamady Doumbouya, had said regional governors had been replaced by military commanders and that Mr. Condé was under arrest.

The UN, African Union, and ECOWAS have condemned the coup and called for a return to civilian rule.

The coup in Guinea was the fourth attempted coup in West Africa in the last year with two military takeovers in Mali and a failed coup in Niger.