A dozen Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, met in Lungi, Sierra Leone on July 19, 2026. They issued the usually bland communique on a single currency, supported the illegal violation of a sister country’s sovereignty and made false declarations on the region’s political situation and democracy. The West African leaders spoke tongue-in-cheek when they declared that they are satisfied with “the steady progress made in democratic consolidation and political governance, as well as the relative stability and resilience of the region, amidst increasing geopolitical and geostrategic pressures.” But what satisfaction in democratic consolidation can they be talking about when, of the current twelve countries in ECOWAS, Guinea-Bissau is under direct military rule, the five-year military junta in Guinea headed by General Mamadi Doumbouya has just on May 31, 2026 shed its military uniform for civilian regalia with the people having no free choice, while Presidents Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and Faure Gnassingbé of Togo are civilian coup plotters who continue to subvert the constitutional term limits in their countries? In fact, Gnassingbé has been in power for twenty-one years since his 2005 coup. ECOWAS leaders lied when they talked about “the consolidation of democracy, peace, security, and the maintenance of social cohesion and stability in the region.” We who live in the West African region experience the contrary. Interestingly, in the same communique these leaders who talked about “the consolidation of democracy, peace, security…” in the region also expressed their “deep concern over the continued deterioration of the security situation across the region, particularly in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, characterized by attacks, kidnapping and disruptive operations by Terrorist Armed Groups, TAGs…” A specific evidence of their claimed consolidation of democracy and peace in West Africa is the unfolding events in Guinea-Bissau. On this, the ECOWAS leaders claim to take note of “the efforts underway in Guinea-Bissau to conclude the country’s political transition through a constitutional referendum slated for 30 August 2026 and the holding of general elections scheduled for 6 December 2026.” But the ECOWAS leaders should be aware that there is no “political transition” in that country. The simple issue there is that following the November 23, 2025 presidential elections in that country, the opposition defeated then-President Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló. Rather than allow the president-elect, Fernando Dias da Costa, to take over power in accordance with the will of the electorate, Embaló, three days after the elections, announced a coup against himself and invited the head of his presidential guard, General Horta N’Tam, to seize power. Since the results of the elections were known, various countries and organisations demanded that they be announced and the victor sworn in. To forestall this, General M’Tham sent soldiers to seize the ballot papers and the vote tallies and destroy the servers showing the results. Rather than hold the coup plotters responsible and insist the president-elect should be sworn in, the ECOWAS leaders went silent. Today, they are mouthing a phony “political transition.” In further insulting the intelligence of the West African people, the ECOWAS Heads of State urged the hostage takers in Guinea-Bissau “to ensure transparency and inclusivity in these pivotal processes (and) prioritize inclusivity in all the processes leading to a swift restoration of constitutional order.” What “transparency and inclusivity”? What true “restoration of constitutional order” or transparent elections can take place in Guinea-Bissau when, since the November 26, 2025 coup, the opposition leaders have been detained illegally and threatened? Former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira, leader of the main opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, PAIGC, was seized by soldiers immediately after the coup and locked up at the Segunda Esquadra Prison in Bissau. This January, he was moved from prison and placed under house arrest. On Friday, July 10, 2026, that is nine days before the ECOWAS Heads of State meeting, Pereira was returned to prison and insanely charged with planning two attempted coups in 2023 and 2025 against then-President Embaló. Does it make any sense for coup plotters to try a person for allegedly plotting coups against the same government they overthrew years later? How can the ECOWAS leaders think such men would organize inclusive, free and fair elections? What is wrong with African leaders? Also, the ECOWAS leaders declared their endorsement for the signing of the Inter-Governmental Agreement on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, AAGP, better known as the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, NMGP. This project is designed to transport natural gas from Nigeria to Moro
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
