Mali, Guinea Bissau top ECOWAS summit agenda

Mali and Guinea Bissau will top the agenda of the 43rd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Abuja, a statement said on Wednesday.

A statement from the ECOWAS Commission on Wednesday said the summit would discuss the political and security situations in Mali and Guinea Bissau.

Both countries are preparing for post-crisis elections.

Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that at least 12 countries' leaders are present in Abuja for the summit.

Among the countries are Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Cape Verde, Togo, The Gambia, Senegal and Nigeria.

NAN also learnt  that the presidents of Kenya and Chad would also be present at the event.

Presidential polls have been fixed for July 28 in Mali and Nov. 24 in Guinea Bissau, following military coups in both countries in 2012 and the armed insurrection in northern Mali.

ECOWAS worked with the international community to mobilise resources and troops for the African-led International Support Mission (AFISMA), which transformed into a UN mission on July 1 to help stabilise the situation in Mali.

France also intervened in January to halt the advance of the rebels from the north of Mali and contribute to the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity.

In Guinea Bissau, the ECOWAS Mission, ECOMIB, has since replaced the Portuguese military contingent in the country.

The political transition is also moving in tandem with a Defence and Security Sector Reform Programme supported by ECOWAS.

The Summit will consider a Memorandum on Mali to be presented by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Amb. Kadré Ouédraogo.

The summit would also be briefed by the ECOWAS Mediator on Mali, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, and his co-mediator, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria.

The regional leaders would also listen to separate presentations by the Commission’s president and the Chairman of the regional Contact Group on the situation in Guinea Bissau.

Other items on the agenda include consideration of the memorandum on the expansion of the membership of the Commission from seven to 15 and the allocation of statutory positions to member states.

The session would also consider the Interim reports of the President of the Commission, the 70th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, and the 30th Meeting of the Mediation and Security Council.

The Authority holds two ordinary meetings annually to consider various issues affecting the 15-nation organisation set up in May 1975.