ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit in Ghana: West African leaders’ agenda for the Accra meeting on the coup in Guinea

ECOWAS member states are meeting in Ghana today to discuss the overthrow of President Alpha Condé.

Regional leaders are reviewing the military takeover by Commander Mamady Doumbouya, who is asking to hand over the baton to civilian rule.

Last week, the organization of 15 member states suspended Guinea from the organization’s decision-making body and sent a mission to meet with the leaders of the coup.

So what will ECOWAS leaders discuss on Thursday, September 16, 2021?

One of the issues that will be discussed will be the outcome of the meeting with Commander Mamady Doumbouya.

Last week, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, alongside an ECOWAS delegation, traveled to Guinea to discuss how the coup leader is handing over power to civilian rule.

Although they do not give all the details of the discussion, they do reveal that Commander Mamady Doumbouya describes certain conditions that will move him to civilian rule.

There is only one problem to unpack during the summit.

One of the things ECOWAS is going to discuss today is whether to impose trade sanctions on Guinea now or later.

What usually happens is that if ECOWAS makes plans to transition from a military takeover to a civilian regime where they will hold democratic elections without it happening, they could impose trade sanctions.

What says sanctions is to disrupt the military leadership, it is to create difficulties within the economy which make the government unpopular.

ECOWAS imposes similar trade sanctions on its West African neighbor, Mali, around August 2020 after Malian soldiers arrested President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

In addition to the issues to be discussed today, ECOWAS will be examining how the mediation discussions unfold.

Former Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan, who is leading mediation alongside other leaders, is exploring ways to engage military leaders.

This is to ensure the security of President Alpha Condé, the political elements of the security of civilians during the period of military transition.

Dem will also be looking at future discussions on how to bring back democratic government, hold elections den stuff.