ECOWAS Parliament backs military operations in Mali

THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has declared support for the military operations by the ECOWAS and the international community in Mali.

The position was made known by its Speaker, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, at the end of a meeting of the Conference of Bureau of the ECOWAS Parliament on the Mali crises, held in Abuja, on Monday.

Briefing newsmen, he said “we support ECOWAS, we support the international community in the deployment of troops and for their efforts to remove terrorism from Mali, because we believe that whatever needs to be done must be done.

“Nothing should be spared to make sure that this is quickly resolved, so that democracy can return to Mali.

“We also believe that what is happening in Mali has greater implications, not just for the sub-region or Africa in general, but the entire world, because terrorism anywhere is terrorism everywhere; hence the fight against terrorism is the fight for everybody.”

The speaker noted that the parliament believed there were terrorists, not just in Mali, but in other places in the sub-region and called for the same concerted efforts being made in Mali to remove them from the rest of the sub-region and rest of the world.

He said the ECOWAS Parliament had also set up an ad hoc committee on the situation in Mali and Guinea Bissau, to help to monitor and report back developments in both countries.

Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Commission President, Désiré Ouedraogo, has said Mali’s caretaker president, Dioncounda Traoré, remains the only authority in the country recognised by the sub-regional body.

Speaking on the role of former Junta leader, Captain Amadou Sanogo, in a televised interview on Sunday night, Ouedraogo said “we recognise the transitional authorities as the only legitimate authorities of Mali.”

“The ECOWAS heads of state agreed to strengthen and consolidate the transition to lead the people of Mali to the final victory over those who had chosen the path of violence and terrorism.

“ECOWAS has repeatedly stated its rejection of any military interference in the political process. For the regional grouping, the role of the military is to defend the territorial integrity of the country and in all the democracies of the world, military authority is subject to the civil authority.”