President George Weah has become uneasy with the news of a military takeover in neighboring Guinea on Sunday, September 5, 2021.
Besides his cordial relationship with his political father, president Alpha Conde, he sees that coup as disturbing for the region.
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Weah, speaking in an extraordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS in Accra Ghana to review the security and political crisis in Guinea and adopt a common approach and strategy in the regional body’s intervention, George Weah quizzed members of ECOWAS to find the root cause of the growing coups in the sub-region.
“We need to be concerned about the root causes, and the number and frequency of coup d’etat which have recently occurred in the ECOWAS region.
Is it possible that there could be a correlation between these events and the political situations where constitutions are amended by incumbents to remove term limits through referendums?
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Or could this be a mere coincidence?
According to Weah, if the removal of term limits are serving as a trigger for the overthrow of constitutionally-elected governments,” then perhaps we in ECOWAS should exert our best efforts to ensure that the term limits in the constitutions of all member states should be respected.”
He added that “I have been consistent in my stance against the unconstitutional removal of democratically-elected Governments. This was my position in Mali, and this is my position today in the current Guinean crisis.
Let me close by reiterating the urgent need to resolve the unfolding crisis in Guinea, so as to avert the bitter experiences of the aftermath of a coup d’état that we have brought to your esteemed attention. We should also remain seized of the political situation in Mali until an amicable and sustainable conclusion of its transition process is realized.”
The leaders of the military coup in Guinea promised on Monday to set up a transitional government of national unity after ousting President Alpha Conde and dissolving his cabinet.
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According to Reuters, Sunday’s coup, in which Conde and other top politicians were detained or barred from traveling, is the third since April in West and Central Africa, raising concerns about a slide back to military rule in a region that had made strides towards multi-party democracy since the 1990s.
The takeover was widely condemned by international powers, placing pressure on the new military leaders to offer a plan beyond the toppling of the old order and to reassure investors that Guinea’s significant ore exports would not be cut.
“A consultation will be carried out to define the major framework of the transition, then a government of national unity will be put in place to lead the transition,” coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire officer, told a meeting of Conde’s ministers and senior government officials.
“At the end of this transitional phase, we’ll set the tone for a new era for governance and economic development,” he said, flanked by armed soldiers in red berets.
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Doumbouya did not say what the transition would entail or give a date for a return to democratic elections.
His seizure of power was buoyed by widespread disaffection with Conde, 83, who promised stable democracy but once in power violently silenced opponents, failed to reduce poverty and last year decided to run for a third term in power – a move many said was illegal.
The coup was welcomed by many but spooked the mining sector. Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves, an ore used to produce aluminum. Prices of the metal shot to a 10-year high on Monday, though there was no sign of supply disruptions.
