West African heads of states have chosen Nigeria's newly elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead the Ecowas regional bloc for the next year, replacing Guinea-Bissau's leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
Speaking at a summit in Bissau after being named chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, Tinubu said at the weekend that democracy was "the best form of government," despite being "very tough to manage".
The recently elected Nigerian president added, "We need it, to be an example to the rest of Africa and the world. We will not allow coup after coup in West Africa."
Three Ecowas members – Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso – have undergone five putsches since 2020.
Omar Alieu Touray, president of the Ecowas commission, urged the ruling juntas in those countries to respect agreed-upon deadlines to hand over power to civilian rule.
"In the event of a failure to meet the transition deadlines, major sanctions could be imposed," Touray said.
I’m grateful to my distinguished colleagues for the honour of being elected as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the 63rd Ordinary Session that took place today in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.… pic.twitter.com/o7uuqME2Kh
— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) July 9, 2023
Mali tops Ecowas agenda
This comes as the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) agreed on Saturday to lift Mali's suspension from the organisation, imposed in January 2022 over the military's timeline for returning to civilian rule.
Ecowas had also imposed a range of measures against the military leaders in Bamako, but lifted them in July 2022 after the junta agreed to hold democratic elections by March 2024.
Meanwhile, Touray also said Ecowas had set up a commission to examine security options in Mali as the UN winds down its decade-long MINUSMA peacekeeping mission there.
The commission reportedly has 90 days to reflect and make proposals on the situation in the country.
Since 2012, Mali has been battling a jihadist insurgency that has since spread to Burkina Faso and Niger.
Tinubu – who was sworn in as president of Africa's largest economy in May – said Ecowas members would pursue "inclusive" economic integration in the year ahead.
"We should serve a warning to exploiters that our people have suffered enough," he said on Sunday.
"I am with you -- and Nigeria, we are back."
