Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday urged leaders of the Economic Community of West African States to rethink their strategy regarding countries ruled by military regimes.
Tinubu told the heads of member states of the regional organization, during an emergency summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, that they are meeting at a “critical juncture.”
The Nigerian President, who is also the rotating president of the regional bloc, added: “I stand before you today burdened by the challenges facing us.”
Following the military seizure of power in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea, Tinubu said “we must reconsider our current approach in seeking constitutional order in four of our member states.”
The organization suspended the membership of the four countries, and they were not represented at the summit.
Last January, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their intention to withdraw permanently from the bloc. But the Economic Community of West African States called on them to return.
Tinubu urged them to “reconsider the decision” and said those countries should “not view our organization as the enemy.”
Tinubu will make a statement on the bloc's discussions later today after private talks between the leaders.
Senegalese President Max Sall will participate in today's summit after being absent from the previous summit. His participation comes two days after he announced that his term would end as scheduled on April 2, but without setting a new date for the presidential elections.
Earlier this month, Sall suddenly canceled the elections that were scheduled for February 25, which plunged the country into a wave of protests. However, matters calmed down after the Constitutional Council canceled the decision to postpone the elections and called for them to be organized as soon as possible.
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