After the coup, ECOWAS suspends Burkina Faso from its authorities
Posters bearing the image of Burkina Faso's new strongman, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, are sold outside the great mosque in Ouagadougou on January 28, 2022. AFP - JOHN WESSELS
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2 mins
After Monday's coup in Burkina Faso, the heads of state of ECOWAS met this Friday for an extraordinary summit.
The organization suspended the country from its authorities, demanded the release of President Kaboré as well as the other officials arrested.
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As for Mali and Guinea, Burkina Faso is in turn suspended from all ECOWAS bodies.
A kind of obligatory passage of the sub-regional organization after any coup d'etat, which however wants to remain "
prudent and not to rush
", confides a participant at the summit.
“
It is a rupture of the constitutional order and in this case, we have our protocol on democracy and good governance
”, indicates Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, the president of the ECOWAS commission.
This protocol, he recalls, includes three major provisions: any accession to power must be through democratic elections;
any undemocratic seizure of power is prohibited;
the army is apolitical and republican.
Prioritize dialogue
By suspending Burkina Faso from all its instances, ECOWAS ensures the minimum service. No economic or targeted sanctions for the moment therefore, even if the question was discussed during the summit. According to a participant, some countries would indeed like the principle of tougher sanctions to be written in black and white in the ECOWAS charter, in the event of the overthrow of institutions by force.
ECOWAS has therefore chosen to favor dialogue. This Saturday, chiefs of staff will go to Ouagadougou to start a dialogue with the junta. "
The putschists justified their action by the level of insecurity, our officers will therefore also have the task of assessing the situation in the country
", indicates a good source. This will be followed by the arrival of a political mission on Monday with a delegation of West African ministers expected in Ouagadougou. The result of these two high-level trips will be studied at a new extraordinary ECOWAS summit, to be held Thursday in Accra.
The sub-regional organization will also seek to clarify gray areas.
In particular, to assess the degree of rallying of the armed forces to the putsch.
"
We know that some joined the mutineers dragging their feet
," says an observer.
The countries of the sub-region therefore want to be cautious and prefer not to skip the steps.
"
The organization first wants to properly assess the situation, use a whole range of other measures before taking more sanctions
," says an observer.
In short, give yourself a few days before choosing the outstretched hand or arm wrestling.
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Burkina Faso
ECOWAS