HURIWA TO ECOWAS ON CHAD: BE CONSISTENT, INSIST ON DEMOCRACY

,,,,,Demands for suspension of Chad from Ecowas

Oru Leonard

The prominent pro- democracy Non- governmental organization:- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has criticized the leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari of hypocrisy and double standard in the handling of the aftermath of the assassination of erstwhile strongman of Chad Idriss Déby.

“We expect an organization like the Economic Community of West African States founded on the principles of economic prosperity of member states anchored on the practices of democracy and constitutionalism to insist on the smooth transitions of power in Chad after the unfortunate assassination of the President of Chad Republic by rebels. The decision by the Chad’s military to dissolve parliament and unilaterally annul the results of the election in which the election umpire had already announced the winners and first runner up is to put it succinctly, a military coup”.

HURIWA has therefore carpeted the leaders of ECOWAS for their apparent double speak in the case of Chad whereas the same ECOWAS stood vehemently and demanded civilian democracy in Mali when few months back the Malian Junta struck and unseated the democratically elected President who subsequently resigned”.

HURIWA recalled that the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) had rejected the military coup in Mali and ordered sanctions against its ringleaders.

The prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group said the bloc of 15 West African countries condemned the mutiny within the Mali’s armed forces that led to seizure of power and ouster of President Ibrahim Boubacar Kéita. Mr Keita announced his resignation in a televised address, adding that he had dissolved his government.

HURIWA recalled that in a statement issued by the Ecowas Commission in Abuja, the body says “the coup is likely to have a negative impact on peace and stability in Mali as well as the region. Ecowas said it had been mediating for more than two months in order to find a solution to the political crisis in Mali.”

However, the Rights group in a release to the media by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, expressed disappointment that ECOWAS has now decided to apply a different yard stick in the case of Chad.

The Rights group has demanded that the most appropriate approach would have been for ECOWAS to insist that if the winner of the ill-fated poll in Chad has been killed even then his running mate or the first runner up in that election should be upgraded to the position of the winner instead of allowing the military to crush all democratic institutions just so they can install the son of the late leader who is serving four star General.

HURIWA has asked ECOWAS to similarly suspend the membership of Chad until the Coup leaders return their nation to a path of constitutionalism.