ecowas

ECOWAS likely to suspend Mali following coup
An emergency meeting of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) being held in
Ivory Coast to discuss political crisis in Mali following the military coup there. ECOWAS likely to
consider suspending Mali’s membership from the 15-member sub-regional bloc.
ECOWAS Vice President Toga Gayewea McIntosh held that ECOWAS group is concerned with
preserving peace, stability and democracy in Mali.





ECOWAS condemns attempted coup in Guinea Bissau
The ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) condemned
what it described as an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau. Soldiers have
taken control of much of the capital of the Guinea-Bissau. The military coup
included the arrest of interim president Raimundo Pereira and Prime
Minister Carlos Gomes Junior only two weeks before the planned April 28,
2012 presidential election.
Why a Military coup in Guinea Bissau?
First Background:
Guinea-Bissau, a poverty-stricken former Portuguese colony, has been plagued by a long series of coups since gaining
independence in 1974. Raimundo Pereira took over the role of interim president following the death of Malam Bacai
Sanha on 9 January 2012. Under the constitution of Guinea-Bissau, new elections are due to be held within 90 days of
the presidential post becoming vacant. The first round of the elections was held on 18 March, 2012.
Now,
Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr. was expected to win forthcoming Presidential elections. He was unpopular with
elements of the military because he wanted to reduce the size of the army. This probably led to the Military coup in
Guinea Bissau.
About ECOWAS





West African regional bloc suspends Mali after coup
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),suspended Mali after the military coup. The
group said, the Presidents of six West African States will travel to Mali in a weeks time to try to return
the country to civilian rule. The decision to suspend Mali was taken at an emergency meeting of
ECOWAS in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan. The leaders of the region’s 14 West African countries
condemned the coup and called for release of political prisoners and appointed Burkina Faso’s
President as mediator.
The Military coup in Mali was led by soldiers as they were unhappy with the way President Amadou Toumani Toure’s
government had been handling insurgency in northern Mali.
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