US EditionWest Africa: Ecowas Leaders Meet, Vow to Be Proactive Against Coups
ECOWAS shifts to pre-emptive military and diplomatic actions, authorizing a mission in Guinea-Bissau and threatening targeted sanctions to protect democracy in West Africa.
- On Sunday in Abuja, ECOWAS Heads of State and Government authorised a military mission in Guinea-Bissau and agreed to forge a proactive, forceful united front against coups and insecurity at the 68th Ordinary Session.
- Leaders cited a string of recent military takeovers and security threats, including terrorism, transnational organised crime, and irregular migration, as outlined in the ECOWAS Authority's 2025 Annual Report.
- The summit applauded the Standby Force's swift intervention alongside national forces of Benin, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Sierra Leone, and named Aliko Dangote Chair of the ECOWAS Business Council.
- The Authority warned that failure to comply will attract targeted sanctions against individuals or groups obstructing constitutional order and called on the African Union and international partners for support.
- Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority Julius Maada Bio called the 68th Session a defining moment for over 400 million West African citizens, as member states agreed to abolish air transport taxes.
11 Articles
11 Articles
At the summit meeting in Abuja on 14 December, the Heads of State discussed the political situation in Guinea-Bissau and Benin. The presidential election in Guinea also established itself as a major subject, described by the President of the Commission as "significant progress" in the "transition process", while the head of the junta in Guinea Mamadi Doumbouya was running for the presidency despite an earlier promise not to stand, and the exiled…
ECOWAS Leaders Move To Clamp Down On Coups
Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have agreed to forge a united front to halt the spread of military coups, terrorism and other forms of insecurity across the sub-region. The decision was taken on Sunday in Abuja at the 68th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, against the backdrop of a series of military takeovers in the Sahel. The bloc resolved to shift…
The Heads of State and Government of the Cédéao met on Sunday 14 December in Abuja, Nigeria. The summit ended in the evening. The West African leaders condemned the failed coup d'état in Benin and especially the putsch in Guinea-Bissau. The Heads of State and Government of the Cédéao rejected the transition programme proposed by the military junta of Bissau.
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