Liberia’s George Weah has condemned the dissolution of the democratically-elected Government of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré of Burkina Faso, and reiterated Liberia’s policy of absolute zero tolerance for coup d’états.
The Liberian president then called on the military authorities to restore the duly elected president to power, and to return the country to a constitutional, democratic order without delay.
President Weah’s remarks were contained during a virtual speech delivered to ECOWAS Heads of State and Governments on the current political situation in Burkina Faso.
In an address to the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments and President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President Weah said: “Mr. Chairman, to address the recurrent coups in our region, Liberia wishes to echo its previous recommendation to the Authority of Heads of State and Government to urgently revise the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance by including initiative-taking mechanisms for engaging stakeholders, including the military, in situations where ECOWAS Early Warning Mechanisms clearly predict future disruptions of the political and security situation in our Member States.”
President Weah said the evolution of the recent political situation in Burkina Faso caused the collapse of the security condition in the country, which made this situation inevitable.
To address this peculiar situation, President Weah recommended that authority should include in its current strategy based on application of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the ECOWAS conflict prevention mechanism
of engaging relevant stake holders in preventive diplomacy where conflicts are brewing to stem the trend of coup d’états in the region.
“Liberia also recommends the use of multi-track Diplomacy to address the grievances of stakeholders in preventing coup d’états in our region,” President Weah added.
He said the circumstances of Burkina Faso triggered, ipso facto, by the insurgency and terrorism by militant groups, the Authority should consider the provision of humanitarian support to the vulnerable groups that have been affected by the declining security in Burkina Faso, while considering applicable sanctions on military authorities for disrupting the democratic and constitutional processes in Burkina Faso, as provided by the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
In addition to the appointment of an ECOWAS Facilitator for Burkina Faso, the recently constituted ECOWAS Council of the Wise should be deployed, as soon as possible, to engage in back-channel discussions with the stakeholders in addressing their grievances for the swift return to constitutional and democratic orders, President Weah said.
