ECOWAS pleaded with Condé to respect Guinea’s constitution

Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey revealed that before the constitutional review of the now deposed Guinean President Alpha Condé, there had been several engagements between him, the Community of West African States ( ECOWAS), but he was adamant.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, the minister indicated that a delegation from the sub-regional body was in intense deliberation with the Guinean president during the amendment of the Guinean Constitution, but that the meeting was not successful.

“What you see from the outside is that everyone was relaxed, but they’re not. There is a lot of engagement going on, ”the Minister said.

The minister, who is also the chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, further revealed that the bloc has done its best to protect the interests of the people during the constitutional referendum and its related process.

Some critics have criticized ECOWAS for not intervening when the ousted president amended the constitution.

But the minister said efforts were made when the ousted president took steps to revise the constitution.

His comments precede an extraordinary ECOWAS summit on the Guinean impasse scheduled for Thursday, September 16.

She said claims that ECOWAS has remained indifferent are misleading.
“ECOWAS could not or could not have stood by and watched this happen.”

“We made a commitment, and I was even part of the delegations that went there, sent by the heads of state to dialogue with all the stakeholders and try to stop this … unfortunately, it did not happen. product, ”she told reporters from the Ministry of Information.