The African Union ( AU ) and the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) have a zero tolerance for military coups and unconstitutional change of governments.
According to the AU, “The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ADC) is a document adopted by member states of the African Union (AU) on January 30, 2007, in order to promote liberal democracy and human rights in Africa. It is the first binding document adopted by members of the African Union.””
Because both have zero tolerance for coups, the AU and ECOWAS condemned the military takeover in Guinea . It did not stop at that. The AU announced on September 10, 2021 that it was suspending Guinea because of the coup that toppled the government of President Alpha Conde. The sub regional organization, ECOWAS also eloquently condemned the Guinea coup and also suspended Guinea from the organization.
As a matter of fact, ECOWAS held an extraordinary heads of state summit in Accra on the Guinea Coup, attended by Sierra Leone President Maada Bio, where it was decided to impose sanctions on Guinea for the coup.
Given all these developments, it was therefore stunning and unbelievable when Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio went to Guinea during the week to establish relations with the suspended Guinean junta government.
The action by President Bio has reportedly raised serious eyebrows in the international and diplomatic communities because it violates the AU and ECOWAS mandate that all member states comply with their protocols, principles and decisions. This action by President Bio is an example of the lawless acts by this former junta leader that have riled citizens of his country.
There is no doubt that President Bio,, by breaching international principles and conventions to go and recognize a junta leader that AU and ECOWAS have condemned , suspended and isolated, is telling the world that he does not respect international pacts , agreements and conventions., and this is a disgrace and embarrassment for our nation.
President George Weah of Liberia will think twice before taking any action that breaches international moral conventions . In Liberia, the State is not the personal property of the president but iin Sierra Leone, since President Bio came to power, it seems like the state belongs to him. We make this comparison because both Liberia and Sierra Leone just emerged from wars but Liberia is compliant with principles and acts that will avoid making the country a pariah state while Sierra Leone, under this lawless President, is non- compliant and is doing everything to become the pariah of West African states.
The proactive intelligentsia , civil society and interest groups in Liberia would never sit down and see their president take a unilateral decision to travel to recognize an ostracized and isolated military junta for his own selfish needs.
President Bio does what he feels and wants. He does not recognize anything else, not even the state and its governance institutions. He is a one-man actor who believes that he is not subject to the State, the nation and any law.
If President Bio had respected the primacy of the State, he should have consulted with Parliament, Civil society, the media, political parties and other national interest groups before going to Guinea to recognize a man who came to power by force and whose action has been ostracized by the international community and his country has been suspended by AU and ECOWAS.
People in Sierra Leone are sitting down and watching a retarded man that calls himself President take any unilateral decision he wants, contrary to international governance mores and conventions, demonstrating with impunity that he is not subject to any law , treaty, protocol or convention.
President Bio should be banned from participating in ECOWAS, AU and UN summits because he does not respect their principle of attaining political power by constitutional means only. Bio broke ranks with ECOWAS and EU by recognizing a junta .
Even supporters of President Bio on social media have described his action as a monumental diplomatic blunder and embarrassment to our nation.
it is a shame to a country that was once the Athens of West Africa and the Beacon of Light of Africa to have a president who respects no local or international law or protocol and who feels he can do whatever he likes .
KABS Kanu
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JUST IN…
LIVE UPDATE ON PRESIDENT BIO VISITS GUINEA
President Julius Maada Bio’s visIt to Guinea today Monday 11th October, 2021 was brief but solid.
President Julius Maada Bio jetted into the Guinean Capital, Conakry, to do follow-up on the ECOWAS protocol and formalities. He was accompanied by Sierra Leone Speaker of the House of Parliament, Hon. Abass Bundu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor David John Francis, Deputy Minister of Defence, Colonel (Rtd) Muana Brima Massaquoi, Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Sullay I. Sesay.
President Bio in his brief remark expressed the need to reciprocate the sacrifice Guinea had made when Sierra Leone was in turmoil during its 11 years’ civil war. He said, “I was a soldier when the war started in my country and I saw first-hand what the Guinea people and army did for us. It is time to give back at this time”.
In his response, President Mamady Doumbouya of Guinea expressed gratitude for the visit. He continued by saying, it shows fraternity.
Full details to follow soon.
Credit: Sitta Turay Live from Guinea
ECOWAS CONDEMNS PRESIDENT BIO’s VISIT TO GUINEA
The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio had on Monday, 11th October, 2021 betrayed the Economic Community of Western African States(ECOWAS) when he visited the Guinean Junta leader Mamady Doumbouya as against what the regional body had earlier on agreed upon since the democratically elected President, Professor Alpha Conde was ousted in a bloodless coup couple of months ago.
The heads of the ECOWAS body had earlier last month unanimously agreed to sanction and isolate the Junta leader since he denied restoring the democratically elected President of Guinea, Professor Alpha Conde. President Julius Maada Bio who is also a former Junta leader who served as the Vice Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) that overthrown the democratically elected President Joseph Saidu Momoh defied the orders of his colleague leaders and paid a visit to the Guinean Junta leader on Monday.
President Julius Maada Bio whose government is allegedly marred with massive financial misappropriation and money laundering according to the investigative publications of the Africanist Press, an investigative Journalists organization based in the United States of America has come under serious criticisms across the subregion and the world at large for betraying ECOWAS and the African Union.
His visit to the Guinean Junta leader has created mixed feelings amongst the citizenry in Sierra Leone including his supporters. Others are of the opinion that the visit will not be unconnected to making arrangements for his welfare when he would have been voted out of power come 2023 because majority of the citizens especially those in the capital are strongly against his reelection come 2023 and some of his supporters who are mostly Southeasterners are also vowing not to vote him for a second term as he could not ameliorate their sufferings especially in the area of maintaining the electricity he inherited from the previous administration. People at also complaining about the athleticism of prices of basic commodities including the staple food rice which is now sold Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Leones(Le.450,000) with a minimum wage of Six Hundred Thousand Leones (Le.600,000) per month.
Some citizens are also of the opinion that the visited may be connected with resolving the dispute of the Eastern border town of Yenga which Guinean troops have occupied for almost two decades.
Sierra Leone are just waiting to see what the action of the regional body ECOWAS will be after their President had defied and betrayed them by visiting the Guinean Junta leader Mamady Doumbouya.
