Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of Nigeria, has been elected by West African leaders to succeed Umaro Sissoco Embalo as head of the ECOWAS region in 2019.
Following his election as ECOWAS president, Bola Tinubu said democracy was “the best form of government,” albeit he acknowledged that it was “very difficult to manage” during a conference in Bissau.
A tough stance against any political coups in West Africa was also guaranteed by the new ECOWAS chairman.
Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso, three ECOWAS nations, have had a total of five coups since 2020.
Omar Alieu Touray, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, asked the juntas in these nations to adhere to established timetables for transferring power to civilian authorities.
On Saturday, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) agreed to lift Mali’s suspension from its bodies and institutions, and decided in January 2022 to sanction the junta’s intention to remain in power for several years.
