West African leaders hold talks with military leaders in Guinea

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) arrived in Guinea’s capital Conakry on Friday, for talks with the military junta to convey the resolution they had adopted at a meeting held in Ghana on Thursday.

The leaders of Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Senegal were welcomed at Conakry airport by the coup leader Col. Mamady Doumbouye, who heads the National Committee for Rally and Development (CNRD)

After the ceremonial reception at the airport, Doumbouya, and the visiting presidents amid heavy security headed to the Sheraton Hotel in Conakry for the planned meeting.

President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo, the current chairman of the bloc told reporters that they were set to discuss with Guinea’s rulers the resolutions that they have adopted in Accra, Ghana.

“ECOWAS summit asked me to come and discuss its recommendations with the new authorities in Conakry. We are here in that framework,” he said.

The regional bloc Thursday directed the junta to “ensure the conduct of presidential and legislative elections within six months to restore constitutional rule”. The resolution also urged members of the junta not to contest in the presidential election.

It also imposed sanctions of travel bans on members of the military junta and their family members and froze their financial assets.

The 15-member bloc has urged the African Union and other international partners to help enforce the travel bans and the freezing of financial assets of the coup leaders, members of the CNRD, and their relatives.

ECOWAS has suspended Guinea’s membership from the bloc and demanded unconditional release of former president Alpha Conde who was deposed on Sep. 5.

Sources said the regional leaders will try to press for the immediate unconditional release of Conde.

Guinea's junta this week opened consultations hoping to draw a roadmap for a transition.

The four-day consultations which were to continue on Friday with directors of banks and unions in the parliament building in Conakry were postponed due to the visit of the regional leaders.

Meanwhile, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said his administration backed regional efforts, adding that his country remains in solidarity with regional, continental, and international bodies calling for the restoration of democracy and constitutional order in Guinea.

On Thursday, leaders of the Great Lakes region, meeting under the International Conference of Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), in Luanda, Angola, also voiced their support to ECOWAS, the African Union, and the UN, which called for the immediate and unconditional release of Conde.