Guinea Bissau wants Ecowas to set up force to deal with coups

Guinea-Bissau wants the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) to set up a force to fight against coups d´état in the terrorism-hit region.

According to the country´s foreign affairs minister, Ecowas has been troubled by phenomena of terrorism and violent extremism and plagued by waves of coups d'état and unconstitutional seizures of power.

Ms Suzi Barbosa, who addressed Monday the Ecowas military chiefs in a meeting held in Bissau, added that such phenomena represent regional weaknesses and there is a need for the rapid activation of the force to restore the constitutional order and combat terrorism.

Ecowas brings together countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire.

The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo are also Ecowas state members.

Guinea-Bissau is currently Ecowas chair and on February 1 suffered a coup attempt where about a dozen people died during the event and others were injured.

It is one of the poorest countries in the world and has had a long history of military coups and political assassinations since its independence from Portugal in 1974.

Last year, Niger’s security forces thwarted an attempted military coup at the presidential palace.

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea Conakry has suffered coups while terrorism has hit almost the whole region.