What to expect from ECOWAS’ Guinea emergency summit

 By Solomon Mensah

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is expected to virtually hold an emergency summit at 2pm (1400GMT) today to be directed by the bloc’s Chair, Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The emergency summit follows Sunday’s coup that toppled President Alpha Conde who had previously pushed for constitutional change that saw him go for a third term in office.

Coup leader Mamady Doumbouya addressing Guineans on state television, on September 5, said that: “We will no longer entrust politics to one man, we will entrust it to the people.”

But ECOWAS in a statement condemned the coup, saying it does not condone unconstitutional political change.

Wednesday’s summit is expected to among other things reiterate the condemnation of the coup, impose sanctions on Guinea and possibly suspend the country from the regional bloc till governance is handed over to a civilian government.

Meanwhile, the soldiers have announced army officers as governors to man affairs of Guinea’s eight regions.