UNOWAS and ECOWAS carry out a joint mission to Burkina Faso after the coup d'état

1 Feb 2022

UNOWAS and ECOWAS carry out a joint mission to Burkina Faso after the coup d'état

The United Nations and its partners are concerned about the resurgence of coups in the sub-region, the latest of which occurred in Burkina Faso on 23 January 2022, following two others in Mali and Guinea. It is in this context that the Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mahamat Saleh ANNADIF, took part in the Ministerial Mission of the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana and President of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.

Also composed of the Ministers of Affairs of The Gambia, Mr. Mamadou Tangara, and of Benin, Aurélien Agbenonci, the Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in charge of ECOWAS Affairs, Mr. Babatunde. A. Nurudeen, the President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, as well as the Commissioner of the Political, Peace and Security Department of the ECOWAS Commission General Francis Béhanzin, the joint mission aimed to remind the military leaders of the decisions taken by the Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, including a rapid return to constitutional order and the release of President Kabore.

Speaking with one voice, the UNOWAS-ECOWAS delegation called on the military authorities of the Mouvement Patriotique pour la Sauvegarde et la Restauration (MPSR) to take the necessary measures for a rapid return to constitutional order. Mr. ANNADIF stressed that whatever the reasons for perpetrating a coup, this act remains unacceptable, and the military will have to show a sense of responsibility to allow a rapid return of constitutional order in Burkina Faso. He encouraged the military authorities to engage in cooperation with ECOWAS and the international community in order to find effective solutions to the current crisis.

As soon as he arrived, Mr. ANNADIF also wished to meet with the United Nations country team with whom he exchanged views on the political situation in Burkina Faso and encouraged the representatives of the various United Nations agencies to redouble their efforts to support the Burkinabe people in this difficult period.