At the Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Chairman of the regional bloc and Ghana President, Nana Akufo-Addo said the successful coup witnessed in Guinea and Burkina Faso were influenced by the situation in Mali.
The summit which was held in Accra, the Ghanaian capital on the political situation in Burkina Faso saw the President cite Mali as being a contagion to other West African countries.
In August 2020, a group of mutinying soldiers led by current interim President, Col. Assimi Goita seized power and overthrew late former President, Ibrahima Boubakar Keita. If the first felt like a mere chance, the second which happened in May 2021, led by the same proponent saw the military hold a firm grip on the nation’s political stool.
On the 5th of September, Col. Mamady Doumbouya also led a group of soldiers to seize power and detain former Guinea President, Alpha Conde. Another coup in Burkina Faso last week led by Lt.Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba made it the fourth coup in 18 months in West Africa in three countries.
Earlier this week, an attempt to snatch the reins of power in Guinea Bissau led to the death of at least six people, with President Umaro Sissoco Embalo opening investigation into its roots.
At the Extraordinary Summit, Akufo-Addo said such developments have to be prevented and called for alertness from governments of the region known as the ‘coup-belt’ of Africa.
“This summit will focus on the emerging threats in our region that stem from the military’s interference in Mali and its contagious influence in Guinea and Burkina Faso,” he said.
“Let us address this dangerous trend collectively and decisively before it devastates the entire region.”
Mali has since been suspended by ECOWAS and the AU, shorn of foreign aid from the EU and the United States and has also severed ties with its colonial masters France.
