On Sunday 24 July 2022 in Ouagadougou a consensus was signed between ECOWAS and Burkina Faso in favour of the duration of the transition in Burkina. Indeed, after several exchanges and negotiations, this duration has been revised to 24 months, starting on 1 July 2022
Burkina Faso was rewarded with a consensus on reducing the duration of the transition. It all started with the statement by the current chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Guinea-Bissau head of state Umaro Sissoco Embalo, on Sunday in Ouagadougou. In his statement, he reassured that a consensus had been reached on the duration of the transition with the Burkinabe transition authorities.
“We had very good discussions with the Burkinabe authorities. We have made assessments on how the commitments made since the conference of heads of state and government are progressing,” Embalo said after his meeting with the Burkinabe president, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Furthermore, the President of Guinea-Bissau emphasised the dedication of the Burkinabe authorities in expressing their vision and those on which the transition government must focus. “We have regarded deadlines as very important and here too we have reached a consensus on a period of 24 months from 1 July 2022 to 1 July 2024,” he said.
For Embalo, the most important aspects of the transition are the security challenge, humanitarian issues, the return to constitutional order, the mobilisation of resources and the setting up of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. To this end, the ECOWAS delegation, which also includes the mediator and former president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, praised the transitional government for the “progress recorded” on the ground in the fight against terrorism.
“I think that all of us must mobilise alongside the Burkinabe government, because Burkina Faso is a founding member of ECOWAS, and despite this situation we must support and mobilise behind the transitional government,” said the current President of ECOWAS
As a reminder, on 24 January, the Burkinabe military overthrew the former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, describing his management of the security situation as catastrophic. Since then, the Burkinabe military junta has issued a 39-month transition period before handing over power to civilians. This was contested by the sub-regional organisation. Fortunately, at the 61st Summit of Heads of State and Government of the institution held on 3 July in Accra, Ghana, Burkina Faso was granted a reprieve, as the economic and financial sanctions imposed on the country were lifted, but the country remains suspended for the time being from ECOWAS bodies.
Charbel Ahouandjinou(Stag)
