Lomé, 31 July 2018
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The 40th regular meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at Ministerial level was held on 7 July 2018, in LomĂ©, Togolese Republic. It was devoted to examining the political and security situation in the region, with particular emphasis on CĂ´te d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Togo. The deliberations also covered a number of topics including the political and security situation in the region, the status of the establishment of Maritime Zones F and G, the operationalization of the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centers (MMCCs). , the report of the ministerial meeting on transhumance and the establishment of early warning and response centers.
2. The meeting was chaired by HE Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of the Togolese Republic, with the participation of all members of the Mediation and Security Council.
3. The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) also participated in this meeting as observers.
II. CONDUCT OF WORK
4. The Council listened to the report of the 28th meeting of the Mediation and Security Council at the level of Ambassadors held on 20 June 2018 in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria and presented by Her Excellency Lena DIMBAN, Permanent Representative of the Togolese Republic with ECOWAS. It took note of the report and the conclusions and recommendations contained therein.
5. The Council deliberated on the following points:
at. Memorandum on the political and security situation in the region
6. The Chairman of the ECOWAS Commission presented to the Council the Memorandum on the security situation in the region, emphasizing the following points:
7. With regard to The Gambia, it appears that the political climate in The Gambia remained relatively calm during the period under review. However, The Gambia still faces serious and serious security problems with far-reaching consequences. However, the implementation of the defense and security sector reforms (RSDS) is still pending, although it was discussed at the donors’ conference on The Gambia held in Brussels on 22 May 2018. The promises made by international partners at the donor conference amounted to € 1.45 billion.
8. Following discussions on this point, the Council submits to the Conference of Heads of State and Government the following main recommendations:
i. Extend the mandate of MICEGA to its scheduled expiry at the end of July 2018.
ii. Urge the Gambian authorities to develop a national security architecture and policy, mainly through the Defense and Security Sector Reform (RSDS);
iii. Encourage the Gambian authorities to ensure effective and efficient coordination of activities taking into account the multiplicity of international partners willing to support The Gambia, and in particular the reform of its Defense and Security Sector (RSDS).
iv. Instruct the ECOWAS Commission to help the country to put in place the necessary framework and mechanism for national dialogue and national reconciliation;
v. Also instruct the ECOWAS Commission to support joint operations between ECOMIG and the Gambian security agencies;
9. With regard to Guinea Bissau, a point of the political situation has been made by the ECOWAS Commission since the Extraordinary Summit on the situation in Guinea-Bissau held on 14 April 2018 in Lomé (Togo), during which the authorities adopted a new timetable as follows:
– The appointment of Mr. Aristides Gomes as Prime Minister by consensus. A Presidential Decree officially ratified this appointment on April 17, 2018
– The holding of the parliamentary elections on November 18, 2018.
10. The Council welcomed the progress achieved in overcoming the political stalemate and took note of the reopening of the National Assembly on 19 April 2018, the vote of the Government’s program and budget by the Parliament, the appointment of the members of the National Electoral Commission and the extension of the mandate of the current legislature. The Council noted that, in accordance with the timetable, an inclusive government has been formed and that the members of the National Electoral Commission have been appointed to prepare for the parliamentary elections scheduled for 18 November 2018. While noting the progress that has been made So far, the Council has expressed its concern about the slow pace of the implementation of the electoral calendar and the difficulties encountered in financing the elections.
11. At the end of the discussions, the Council submits to the Conference of Heads of State and Government the following main recommendations:
i. Urge the stakeholders of Guinea-Bissau to remain faithful to their commitments to the Roadmap adopted on April 14, 2018 in Lomé and to create the conducive political environment and put in place the necessary logistics for the smooth conduct of the November 2018 legislative elections .
ii. Call on all member states to support, to the extent of their capacity, the electoral process underway in Guinea-Bissau;
iii. Extend ECOMIB’s mandate to maintain the progress that has been made in the field of security in the country;
iv. Urge the authorities of Guinea-Bissau to continue preparations for the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 2018;
12. With regard to the political situation in Togo, the Council took note of the nomination by the Conference of Heads of State and Government of their Excellencies Messrs. Nana Addo Dankwa Ako-Addo, President of Ghana and Alpha Condé, President the Republic of Guinea as ECOWAS Facilitators to assist the Togolese Government and political actors in finalizing constitutional and political reforms in accordance with legal deadlines, democratic standards and principles.
13. The Council took note of the various consultations conducted within the framework of the facilitation, in particular the consultative meeting on the socio-political situation in Togo, held on 20 May 2018 in Lomé under the chairmanship of Mr. Albert Kan-DAPAAH (Minister National Security Council of the Republic of Ghana, representing Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO). The Council was informed that this meeting, to which the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Jean-Claude KASSI BROU also participated, renewed the call to all Togolese political parties and stakeholders of the society. to abstain from any act of violence.
14. At the end of the discussions, the Council submits to the Conference of Heads of State and Government the following main recommendations:
i. Encourage an inclusive political dialogue with all stakeholders to achieve a mutually acceptable outcome;
ii. Continue to support the mediation processes of the Presidents of Ghana and Guinea;
i. Instruct the ECOWAS Commission to accompany the mediation process led by the Presidents of Ghana and Guinea by providing technical support;
11. At the end of the discussions, the Council submits to the Conference of Heads of State and Government the following main recommendations:
i. Urge the stakeholders of Guinea-Bissau to remain faithful to their commitments to the Roadmap adopted on April 14, 2018 in Lomé and to create the conducive political environment and put in place the necessary logistics for the smooth conduct of the November 2018 legislative elections .
ii. Call on all member states to support, to the extent of their capacity, the electoral process underway in Guinea-Bissau;
iii. Extend ECOMIB’s mandate to maintain the progress that has been made in the field of security in the country;
iv. Urge the authorities of Guinea-Bissau to continue preparations for the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 2018;
12. With regard to the political situation in Togo, the Council took note of the nomination by the Conference of Heads of State and Government of their Excellencies Messrs. Nana Addo Dankwa Ako-Addo, President of Ghana and Alpha Condé, President the Republic of Guinea as ECOWAS Facilitators to assist the Togolese Government and political actors in finalizing constitutional and political reforms in accordance with legal deadlines, democratic standards and principles.
13. The Council took note of the various consultations conducted within the framework of the facilitation, in particular the consultative meeting on the socio-political situation in Togo, held on 20 May 2018 in Lomé under the chairmanship of Mr. Albert Kan-DAPAAH (Minister National Security Council of the Republic of Ghana, representing Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO). The Council was informed that this meeting, to which the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Jean-Claude KASSI BROU also participated, renewed the call to all Togolese political parties and stakeholders of the society. to abstain from any act of violence.
14. At the end of the discussions, the Council submits to the Conference of Heads of State and Government the following main recommendations:
i. Encourage an inclusive political dialogue with all stakeholders to achieve a mutually acceptable outcome;
ii. Continue to support the mediation processes of the Presidents of Ghana and Guinea;
i. Instruct the ECOWAS Commission to accompany the mediation process led by the Presidents of Ghana and Guinea by providing technical support;
15. With regard to terrorism in the region and in the Lake Chad Basin, the Council noted that the situation in the region remains fragile due to the continuing activities of violent extremism and terrorism.
16. The Council noted the outstanding achievements of Nigeria and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the eradication of Boko Haram. The Council noted that despite the fact that Boko Haram has been greatly weakened and no longer controls any part of Nigerian territory, suicidal attacks against vulnerable targets are still relevant. It was also noted that the threat persists despite the decrease in the number of terrorist attacks, due to various initiatives by the Nigerian Federal Government and the Joint Multinational Force.
17. With regard to Mali, the Council noted that the security situation deteriorated over the months with an increase in asymmetric attacks against civilians, the international defense and security forces and MINUSMA. The absence of local authorities also increases the vulnerability of the population and the risk of radicalization of young people.
18. However, the Council took note of recent progress in the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, resulting from the Algiers Process, including:
– The establishment of interim authorities in the five northern regions;
– A budget of more than 8 billion CFA francs is available for the year 2018 for investment and technical support to these authorities;
– The operationalization of the OMC (Operational Coordination Mechanism) of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu;
– The start of the DDR process with the start of the pre-registration phase of ex-combatants;
– The absence of belligerence between the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) and the Signatory Movements, on the one hand, and the effectiveness, since August 2017, of the truce concluded between the signatory movements (CMA and Platform) on the other hand;
– The arrival of the Carter Center as an Independent Observer and the production of its first report on the implementation of the Agreement.
19. The Council welcomes these encouraging developments and urges the Government of Mali to continue efforts to implement the Agreement with a view to stabilizing the country.
20. With regard to Burkina Faso, the Council was informed of the security situation in the country, which is generally characterized by terrorist attacks, mainly in its northern part. In response to this situation, and in addition to measures of military response, Burkina Faso has developed the emergency program for the Sahel (PUS) of about 500 billion CFA francs to accelerate the development of this region. In addition, as a member of the G5 Sahel, Burkina Faso has requested ECOWAS support for this organization as part of the operationalization of the Joint Force.
21. While welcoming the successful results recorded in the military field, the Council nevertheless considered that it was necessary for other appropriate measures to be taken to contain terrorist activities. To this end, it promotes the exchange of information and intelligence among member states, as well as long-term durable solutions to prevent violent extremism and radicalization.
22. At the end of the discussions, the Council submits to the Conference of Heads of State and Government the following main recommendations:
i. Reiterate the firm condemnation of all terrorist acts and reaffirm the determination of the Member States and the ECOWAS Commission to put an end to this scourge;
ii. Instruct the ECOWAS Commission to effectively implement the decisions adopted by the Mediation and Security Council at its last sessions;
iii. Welcome the initiative for the forthcoming ECOWAS-ECCAS Joint Summit on “Peace, Security, Radicalization and Violent Extremism in the ECOWAS-ECCAS Area” in LomĂ© on July 30, 2018, and call on the Commission to take diligent action to successfully organize this Summit.
23. With regard to the latest developments on elections in the region, the Council noted with satisfaction that the general elections held on 31 March 2018 in Sierra Leone were conducted in a professional manner with the support of ECOWAS, the ECOWAS Parliamentarians and other international partners.
24. On Mali, the Council took note of the preparations for holding the presidential election scheduled for 29 July 2018 in a fragile political and security context. He noted the deployment of the ECOWAS Pre-Election Assessment Mission and the mission deployed by the ECOWAS Commission to assess the security environment before the elections. The Council was informed that the election campaign began on 7 July 2018 and the availability of biometric voter cards.
25. It should be emphasized that a specific Memorandum on Elections in Mali will be submitted to the consideration of this Conference during its in-camera session.
b) Memorandum on the establishment of maritime zones F and G and the operationalization of the Multinational Maritime Centers of Coordination of ECOWAS (CMMC)
26. The Council has reviewed the above-mentioned Memorandum and noted the need to speed up the signing of the various Multilateral Agreements at ministerial level in order to establish Maritime Zones F and G and the Additional Protocols to the Multilateral Agreements on Establishment , the organization and operation of the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centers of E, F and G Zones.
27. At the end of the discussions, the Council submits to the Conference of Heads of State and Government the following main recommendations:
i. To authorize the signing of the Multilateral Agreements with a view to the establishment of Maritime Zones F and G to eradicate illegal activities in the maritime area of ​​West Africa and Legal Instruments on the establishment, organization and operation of the Multinational Maritime Coordinating Centers (MCMCs) of Maritime Zones E, F and G.
c) Presentation of the report of the ministerial meeting on transhumance
28. The Council listened to the report of the meeting of Ministers for Security and Agriculture / Livestock on the transhumance of ECOWAS held on 26 April 2018 in Abuja, presented by the Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Division General (retired) Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali. The Council took note of the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report and called on the ECOWAS Commission to take diligent action for their implementation.
d) Briefing on National Early Warning Centers
29. The Council was informed of the status of implementation of the early warning and response mechanism in the remaining ten (10) Member States. The Council also welcomed the forthcoming operationalization of the Early Warning Center in Guinea Bissau, while stressing the urgent need to put in place the same mechanisms in the other 10 remaining Member States.
III. CLOSING WORD
30. In his closing remarks, HE Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of the Togolese Republic and President of the Mediation and Security Council, expressed his gratitude to the members of the Council for the quality of the deliberations and declared the meeting closed.
DATED AT LOME, JULY 31, 2018
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HE Prof. Robert DUSSEY
PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL