Sahel: Now is not the time for elections!!
Most African sub-regional communities are losing credibility due to their inability to resolve crises in their member states and guarantee the interests of their peoples.
For more than 08 years, ECOWAS has done nothing to combat the terrorism that threatens the Sahel region.
But following the coups d’état in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, this community is merely poking its nose into the internal affairs of these countries, not to ease tensions, but rather to make the situation worse.
Despite the war efforts of the authorities in these three countries, it is clear that the security of their peoples is the least of ECOWAS’s concerns.
In this delicate security context, putting pressure on the authorities to organise elections is all what ECOWAS do.
We might therefore ask whether ECOWAS is really serious in its actions? How can elections be organised in unstable security conditions? Does ECOWAS have hidden agendas?
The answer to the last question is yes. Without doubt, the authorities of the Sahelian states have put ECOWAS in a difficult position, and the only opportunity it has to reach them is to press for the end of the transitions and, finally, to impose sanctions on these countries.
The ridiculous intentions of the club of certain presidents are doomed to failure in advance, since the authorities of the Sahel states have clearly given their opinion on the organisation of the elections.
For the transition presidents of these three countries, the security issue is the top priority, not the elections.
The security issue is not just an African one, but a global one. The President of Ukraine also expressed this view on Monday.
For Volodymyr Zelensky, this is not the time to talk about elections.
«We all understand that today, in times of war, when there are many challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to raise the subject of elections in society in a light-hearted and playful way», he said.
While no one was outraged by Zelensky’s statement, ECOWAS should understand that no elections can be held if the security conditions are not favourable.
The top priority for Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is security and reclaiming their territory.
Papa IBRAHIMA
