Source: Nana Yaw Gyimah
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has observed the rise of an alliance of coup plotters preparing to defend themselves against the sub-regional body.
According to Commissioner of Political Affairs and Security, Abdul-Fatau Musah, the military government in Burkina Faso is in preparation to deploy troops to Niger in defence of a possible ECOWAS intervention.
“There is an association of coup plotters that have banded together apparently to defend themselves against ECOWAS. Mali, Burkina Faso, and others”, he said.
The Commissioner further revealed, “Burkina Faso is even trying to deploy troops to Niger in order to prepare for an eventual intervention by ECOWAS”.
Military overthrow is rife in the West African sub-region over agitations for good governance.
Ambassador Musah, speaking at the opening of the ECOWAS Observation Mission in Liberia, revealed security in these coup-plagued countries continues to deteriorate.
“The military who overthrow a democratically elected government are overseeing the rapid deterioration of security in their country. Today, almost sixty to seventy percent of Burkina Faso is under terrorist control”, he said.
Liberians go to the polls on Monday to elect its President and legislators.
For about twenty years, the once war-torn country is enjoying peace.
Ambassador Musah believes there is a need for the citizenry to give democracy a chance to grow.
“This election is the other side of the picture that democracy can work and democracy is working in some part of West Africa. People should know that liberal democracy as we know it today is barely thirty years old, not everything can be solved in one generation”.
He added, “there is still a lot to do to achieve economic development and others that go with the electoral process that we have. There must be the development dividend of the democracy we have”.
