Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has asked the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to support the sanctions slammed on Mali and Guinea coup leaders by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In a statement that was made available by his aide on Media & Publicity, Osinbajo who represented the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, made this request during the ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government held recently in Accra, Ghana.
Osinbajo made it known that the Authority had resolved to effect the sanctions it had imposed on the coup leaders of Mali and Guinea on September 26, 2021, and insisted that international organisations like the UN and EU have to support the sanctions for democracy to grow in West Africa.
He said: “One of the important points that the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government make is that coups and coups d’état generally are just completely unacceptable and that we cannot continue to have a situation where they are tolerated for the simple reason that in Africa, West Africa in particular, we have gone way beyond military coups as an answer to the question of a change in political actors.”
“There is a very strong feeling amongst the Heads of State that we must insist, that other international bodies: the UN, EU, and other regional groups must support the impositions of sanctions on individuals and groups that choose not to follow the democratic process of change of government and choose to go by way of coup d’état.”
Osinbajo however acknowledged the efforts put in place by Guinea to return to democratic rule and noted that Mali was in a pretty ‘difficult situation’.
He said: “It appears from all indications that much progress has been made in Guinea, although we are still concerned that there ought to be much more clarity on transition.
“But Mali is a much more difficult situation, there is much concern because very little progress had been made.”
