Leaders of the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet on Thursday to discuss how to pressurize the military junta leaders to return the country to constitutional rule, Ghana’s foreign minister said, reported Reuters.
The military junta leaders held discussions with the country’s politicians and leaders of political parties on Tuesday and then with various civil society groups on Wednesday.
ECOWAS suspended Guinea last week after the military toppled 83-year-old president Conde, calling his ousting a clear violation of the group’s regional charter. The African Union has followed ECOWAS in suspending Guinea.
The bloc had sent a 15-member delegation group to Conakry to meet with coup leader Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, visit Conde and demand a transitional government.
Ghana Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said the summit would review the delegation’s findings and decide steps to ensure Guinea’s return to constitutional rule.
“The summit will have a single agenda, where I will lay before the authority the report of the ECOWAS high-level mission to Guinea,” Botchwey told reporters on Wednesday.
She said Guinea’s coup leaders have not yet decided on a timetable for a return to democratic rule, so, the heads of state will now take some serious decisions about Guinea’s future. She said the leaders will consider and discuss the ongoing situation in the West African country and decide on how they want to see the transition and for how long it should be.
Conde came under increasing pressure due to his authoritarianism, as dozens of opposition activists were arrested after a disputed election last year.
The latest coup in Guinea has led to fears of democratic upheaval across other West African countries. Mali also witnessed two army uprisings since August last year.
After the coup last year, ECOWAS had imposed economic sanctions on Mali but lifted them after the ruling military committed to restoring civilian rule.
