african news

            African leaders to send troops against Gbagbo    

March 25, 2011

The 39th OrdinarySummit of the Heads of States and Government of the Economic Communityof West African States (ECOWAS) ended yesterday in Abuja with a firmresolution to use force to remove the sit-tight President of Coted’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, if he insists on remaining in power.

“The time has cometo enforce Decision of 7 and 24 December 2010 in order to protect lifeand ensure that transfer of the reins of power to Alassane Ouattarawithout further delay”, the regional body said in its ResolutionA/RES.1/03/11 signed by its chairman and Nigeria’s President, GoodluckJonathan.

Mr Ouattara isbelieved by the international community to have won the country’s lastpresidential election, although Mr Gbagbo has refused to recognize theresult.

Following thecrisis that trailed the disputed election of November 28, 2010, ECOWAS,in its meeting of December 7, resolved to accord formal recognition toMr. Ouattara as President-elect of Cote d’Ivoire, while urging Mr.Gbagbo to make a peaceful exit from power in the best interest of theIvorien people.

The country has since spiralled into violence as armed supporters of the two men continue to fight one another.

While it expressedconcern about the deteriorating security in the country, as a result ofMr. Gbagbo’s refusal to yield power to his successor, the organisationsaid at the end of its extraordinary session in Abuja on December 24,that it regrets that its previous resolutions were ignored and warnedthat it will be “left with no alternative, but to take other measures,including the use of legitimate force, to achieve the goals of theIvorian people.”

Though theresolutions have since been endorsed by the African Union (AU) and theUnited Nations (UN), Mr. Jonathan yesterday requested the UN SecurityCouncil to authorize the immediate implementation of these decisions tostem the tide of the rapidly deteriorating political, security andhumanitarian situation in Cote d’Ivoire.

Firmly condemningthe widespread violence against civilians, which he noted had led tounacceptable loss of lives and property, the ECOWAS Chairman criticizedthe deliberate targeting of innocent Ivoriens, ECOWAS citizens andother foreigners as well as attacks on personnel of the UN Mission inthe country by armed groups loyal to Mr. Gbagbo.

“The crisis in Coted’Ivoire has now become a regional humanitarian emergency. We requestthe United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to strengthen the mandate ofthe United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) to enable it useall necessary means to protect life and property and to facilitate theimmediate transfer of power to Mr. Alassane Ouattara,” he said.

Humanitarian emergency

Besides, the groupalso urged the UN security council to adopt more stringent targetedsanctions against Mr. Gbagbo and his collaborators, while directing theECOWAS Commission to explore all avenues to provide Mr. Ouattara allnecessary legal and diplomatic support to enable it exercise itsauthority, including admitting his government to all its meetings.

The meeting, whichalso resolved to renew President Jonathan’s tenure as Chairman of theECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government till December 31,2011, had earlier conferred ECOWAS Founders Honorary Awards on twoformer Heads of State of Nigeria and Togo, Yakubu Gowon and GnassingbeEyadema.

Acknowledging theirpioneering roles towards the establishment of the regional body, MrGowon was conferred with the title of “ECOWAS Roving Ambassador”, whileEyadema got a posthumous award in recognition of his contributions tothe growth of the organisation when he was alive.

Two otherpersonalities, Adebayo Adedeji, a former Executive Secretary of theUnited Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and Edem Kodjo,one time Prime Minister of Togo and erstwhile Secretary General of theOrganisation of African Unity (OAU) were also honoured for theircontributions towards the formulation of the ECOWAS Treaty.

All the awardsconfer on their recipients the right to participate fully in allsessions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

While commendingmember states for the various measures adopted to mitigate the negativeimpact of the 2009 global economic and financial meltdown on theireconomies, the Summit called for the sustenance of the structuralreforms for economic recovery through the strengthening of privatesector capacity, diversification of their economic base on regionalcooperation as well as increased investments in social sectors toachieve the seven per cent growth rate required to attain theobjectives of the Millennium Development Goal.

Underscoring theneed to deepen regional integration, particularly in priority areas,like promoting public-private cooperation, enhancement ofmacro-economic convergence and sectorial programmes in agriculture,infrastructure and energy, it expressed deep concern over the deadlockin the economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiation as a result ofpersistent divergence between the European Union (EU) and their WestAfrican counterparts.

It however affirmedtheir common position to preserve their independent resources byexcluding ECOWAS Community levy and the West African Economic andMonetary Union (UEMOA) community solidarity levy from the scope ofliberalised tariffs, while ensuring a gradual liberalization thatsafeguards the regional tax revenue, with the region ready to offer tothe EU a maximum of 70 percent market opening over a period of 20 to 25years.

Foreign Minister, Odein Ajumogobi, confirmed that ECOWAS has sought“UN Security Council endorsement of its resolution to oust Gbagbo byany necessary measures in accordance with previous ECOWAS and AU and UNResolutions that have recognised Quattara as President of Cored’Ivoire”.