The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a call for unity after an emergency meeting on the situation in Senegal and the announcement of the withdrawal of three member states.
The foreign and defense ministers of the group's member states held emergency talks behind closed doors that lasted for hours on Thursday. They are expected to issue a final statement today, Friday.
In his opening speech, Omar Aliou Touray, Chairman of the Group’s Commission, described the situation in Senegal after the presidential elections were suddenly postponed from February 25 to December 15 as a “worrying development” before calling on member states to form a united front.
“If there is ever a time when ECOWAS must remain united, it is now,” the Gambian diplomat from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, stressed.
For his part, Youssef Maitama Togar, Chairman of the Regional Organization's Mediation and Security Council, urged Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to reverse their decision to withdraw from the group.
Togar pointed out that the withdrawal of the three Sahel countries “will cause additional difficulties for the population.”
The group guarantees citizens of its fifteen member countries the ability to travel to any of these countries without a visa and settle there for work or residence.
The announcement of the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali from ECOWAS last week alarmed hundreds of thousands of citizens of the three countries, including traders.
“We are stronger together as a community,” added Togar, who also serves as Nigeria's foreign minister.
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