July 3, 2024. Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
DECLARATION OF THE JOINT CONSULTATIVE FORUM OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS (CSOs) AND CIVIC ACTORS IN WEST AFRICA TO THE 65TH SESSION OF THE AUTHORITY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF ECOWAS.
The West African Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), in collaboration with Tournons la Page (TLP), the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), and other pro-democracy actors in the region, extends its warmest greetings to the Heads of State ahead of the 65th session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, to be held in Abuja, Nigeria, on July 7, 2024. This memorandum expresses our concerns about developments in our region and offers some recommendations to Your Excellencies to strengthen the democratic architecture, improve peace and security, and advance the integration of the peoples of the Community.
As regional civil society organizations (“CSOs”) dedicated to the prosperity and development of the region, we are deeply concerned about the political and security crises and the risks to the unity and cohesion of the Community. These developments, including unconstitutional and undemocratic changes of government, have occurred and persist despite the normative framework on peace and security and the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
We recall that CSOs and non-state pro-democracy actors, meeting on December 8, 2023, in Abuja, on the eve of the 64th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, urged ECOWAS to expedite the review of the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and strengthen it to include a provision prohibiting unlimited presidential terms or term extensions, given the negative impact of term extensions on peace and security in the subregion.
We note with approval the instruction addressed to the Commission at the 64th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government to intensify consultations with Member States to finalize and present for adoption the revised draft Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. We also note the resolution of the 64th Ordinary Session to convene an extraordinary summit on Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCG), the call for the Gambia to adopt a new constitution before the 2026 general elections, support for Guinea-Bissau in consolidating democracy and efforts to consolidate peace and stability, including through the completion of the ongoing constitutional review and security sector reform, as well as initiatives to support the deployment of the regional counterterrorism force.
However, certain recent developments threaten the very foundations of the Community. These include:
➢ The coordinated announcement by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso on January 28, 2024, of their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS;
➢ The violation of transitional agreements by junta leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso and the deterioration of security and human rights conditions in these countries;
➢ The escalation of terrorist insurgency and violent extremism, particularly in the Sahel region, associated with human rights consequences and an inconsistent regional response.
➢ The March 25 constitutional coup against the Togolese people following an illegitimate and unilateral change of the constitution by parliament; ➢ The persistent prospect that the President of Côte d’Ivoire will retain power for a fourth term following the removal of term limits in the 2016 Constitution, allowing him to run for a third consecutive term;
➢ Repression of CSOs, repression of dissenting voices, and persistent violations of human rights and the laws of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. In light of these elements, CSOs in the region held a consultation summit on July 1, 2024, prior to the ECOWAS Summit of Heads of State, to deliberate on a common citizens’ position on these concerns and propose recommendations aimed at strengthening the ECOWAS normative framework, as well as to formulate a citizens’ agenda to be included in the discussions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at the upcoming 65th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria.
Demands
It is on this basis that we formulate and reiterate the following demands to the 65th Summit of Heads of State and Government:
● Term Limits and Constitutional Reform in Togo
We firmly believe that now is the time, more than ever, for ECOWAS to expedite the review of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol and promulgate a code on presidential term limits that is consistent with all the proposed revisions to the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol. The degenerating socio-political climate within ECOWAS requires immediate intervention to prevent further democratic reversals in the region, with term limits being a major factor.
With two-thirds of citizens in 34 African countries surveyed by Afrobarometer in 2022 supporting the two-term limit for presidents, ECOWAS should recognize presidential term limits as by far the preferred option for citizens and respond accordingly.
Furthermore, the lessons learned from the constitutional revision in Togo, which grants greater powers to the President of the Council of Ministers without term limits against the elected president, should inform the revision of the Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. We humbly appeal to ECOWAS to ensure that the reform of the two-term presidential term limit applies equally and strictly to heads of state and government in all member states. ECOWAS should take immediate steps through the reform to prevent the situation in Togo from becoming the new norm in the region.
We also call on ECOWAS to initiate discussions and dialogue with the government of Togo on the recent constitutional amendment, which has sparked widespread protests from pro-democracy actors and citizens, including the Togolese Bishops’ Conference, academics, CSOs, and the diaspora community. The fact that a referendum was not the priority option for adopting the amendment and that the decision was taken by a Parliament controlled by a single party and its affiliates certainly affects the rights of citizens to express their political choices.
- Deterioration of Security and Humanitarian Conditions in the Sahel and Planned Exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from ECOWAS.
We continue to express our grave concern about security in the Sahel, compounded by the decline in the principles of human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and good governance. We condemn the arrest and detention of civic actors and political opponents by the transitional governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Niger, as well as the continued repression of activists and human rights defenders, particularly in Burkina Faso, under the “General Mobilization Law,” which grants the President sweeping powers, including the power to recruit individuals and restrict civil liberties.
We urge Heads of State to seek the intervention of global and regional bodies, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNHRC), to intervene in the situation in the Sahel to prevent further deterioration of the rights situation of citizens by their governments. We further urge ECOWAS to prioritize the human rights situation in the Sahel. Furthermore, we welcome the efforts of ECOWAS to deploy a mediator to engage the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in their return to the regional bloc. We further commend the leadership shown by the President of Senegal in complementing ongoing regional mediation and intervention efforts to reintegrate these countries into ECOWAS. We will continue to call on the junta to reconsider its decision in the interest of its citizens whose political and economic history, as well as geographical identity and integration, are closely linked to the sub-region.
• Force en Attente de la CEDEAO
Nous notons l’instruction donnée à la Commission de reprendre d’urgence les efforts visant à activer la Force en Attente de la CEDEAO pour les opérations antiterroristes dans les zones infestées par des groupes armés terroristes. Nous reconnaissons les efforts visant à positionner la Force en Attente de la CEDEAO en tant que force régionale de lutte contre le terrorisme et à reconfigurer la réponse à la situation sécuritaire au Sahel et sur les côtes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Dans cette mesure, la CEDEAO devrait renforcer son rôle dans la coordination de la réponse internationale et transnationale à la sécurité et au terrorisme qui gagne du terrain au Sahel et s’étend progressivement aux côtes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest.
Conclusion
Nous sommes solidaires pour saluer les efforts de la Commission pour opérationnaliser l’ECOSSOC-AO, ce qui améliorerait l’engagement des citoyens de la communauté et l’interface avec la CEDEAO, comme le prévoit le traité révisé de la CEDEAO et la réalisation de l’agenda citoyen de la CEDEAO.
Alors que la CEDEAO entame le compte à rebours jusqu’à la célébration du 50ème anniversaire en 2025, nous implorons l’organisme régional de tirer parti des ressources et des opportunités de la région pour se lancer dans des réformes institutionnelles afin de renforcer sa légitimité, d’accroître le soutien des citoyens de la communauté et de renforcer sa résilience pour renverser les tendances antidémocratiques et la résurgence dans la région, y compris la refonte de la réponse aux CAG (Changements Anticonstitutionnels de Gouvernement) en Afrique de l’Ouest. À la lumière de la vague croissante d’instabilité qui s’abat de plus en plus sur la région, la Commission de la CEDEAO devrait de toute urgence aller au-delà des progrès initiaux réalisés dans la recherche d’un consensus sur la révision du Protocole Additionnel de 2021 de la CEDEAO sur la Démocratie et la Bonne Gouvernance, pour atteindre l’éventuelle réalisation du Protocole révisé.
Nous réitérons notre engagement en tant que partenaires à soutenir la CEDEAO dans la prévention ou la résolution des conflits ; et renforcer ses capacités pour faire face aux nouvelles menaces qui pèsent sur la démocratie et la paix en Afrique de l’Ouest. En tant qu’acteurs de la société civile et pro-démocratiques abordant les défis régionaux en matière de démocratie, de paix et de sécurité, ainsi que de Bonne Gouvernance, nous sommes prêts et disposés à collaborer avec la Commission de la CEDEAO, nos gouvernements et les citoyens de la communauté dans le but d’accélérer l’action sur ces questions importantes, qui constituent une menace majeure pour la stabilité de la sous-région.
Signatories (WADEMOS Members, Civic Groups, and Pro-Democratic Actors in the Sub-Region):
West Africa Civil Society Initiative (WACSI)
West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
Turn the Page
African Meeting for the Defense of Human Rights (RADDHO-Senegal)
AfricTivistes (Senegal)
AfrikaJom Center (Senegal)
WATHI Think Tank (Senegal)
Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)
African Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA-Ghana)
Gender Center for Empowerment in Development (GenCED-Ghana)
CDD-West Africa (Nigeria)
Group of Transition Monitoring (TMG-Nigeria)
Women in Politics Forum (Nigeria)
Yiaga Africa (Nigeria)
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC)
The Center for Democratic Governance (Burkina Faso)
Le Balai Citoyen (Burkina Faso)
Citizen Information and Documentation Center
AFLED (Mali)
NGO Network Supporting the Electoral Process in Mali – APEM Network (Mali)
Education for a Culture of Peace and Citizenship, Defense of Human Rights (Mali)
Youth Association for Active Citizenship and Democracy (AJCAD) (Mali)
Coalition for Citizen Election Observation (Mali)
Statview International (Guinea)
TO CONNECT
Citizen for Peace and Justice (Guinea)
- Women Actions and Development (Niger)
- Alternative Citizen Space (Niger)
- Coalition of Nigerien Children’s Rights Organizations (Niger)
- Network of Women Leaders for Development (Benin)
- Social Watch (Benin)
- Cape Verde Civil Society Forum (Cape Verde)
- Pedro Pires Institute (Cape Verde)
- Institute for Research and Democratic Development (Liberia)
- Center for Democratic Governance (Liberia)
- Clinic for Legal and Social Expertise (Togo)
- National Civil Society Consultation (Togo)
- National Election Monitoring (Sierra Leone)
- Campaign for Good Governance (Sierra Leone)
Union of Journalists and Communication Technicians (Guinea-Bissau)
Center for Research and Policy Development (CRPD) (Côte d’Ivoire)
Good Governance Team (GGT-Nigeria)
Ofure Center for Peace and Development
Center for Advocacy and Transparency – Nigeria
Gee Foundation for Social Justice and Development, Nigeria
Meluibe Empowerment Foundation, Nigeria
Center for Socio-Economic Research and Development (SEDEC) / Transition Monitoring Group (TMG)
Connecting Peace Initiative, Rivers, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
21st Century Community Empowerment Initiative for Youth and Women, Nigeria
Center for Environmental Sustainability and Development Awareness (CESDA)
West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF)
Grassroots Center for Rights and Civic Orientation, Abuja, Nigeria