Statement: Adopt urgent Pragmatic Steps and Return Guinea to Constitutional Democracy – WANEO

West Africa Network of Election Observers (WANEO) hereby condemn the unconstitutional takeover of the democratically elected government of the Republic of Guinea by the new Military Junta of National Committee for Rally and Development (NCRD) of Guinea. WANEO per its research and monitoring in Guinea totally disagree with the stated reasons and the underlying causes of the new military takeover of Guinea and as such strongly calling on the leadership of the military junta to take immediate steps in returning the good people of Guinea to democratic rule in compliance with Guinea’s fiduciary obligations to international, continental and regional treaty obligations with the United Nations, the African Union and ECOWAS.

WANEO is seriously calling on the leadership of the new military takeover government of Guinea, the National Committee for Rally and Development(NCRD) to as a matter of regional and international democratic importance immediately release the deposed and arrested President of Guinea Alpha Conde and adopt urgent and pragmatic steps in returning Guinea to constitutional democracy in line with the democratic values and principles of the African Union Charter on Democracy ,Elections and Governance and the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance in fulfillment of Article 21 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1945 which stakes that, “ the express will of the people shall be the basis of government authority, and everyone has the right to take part in the government directly or through freely chosen representatives”. The Guinean people deserves the best of democratic governance and hence, they must decide who leads them in a democratic process.

In the light of this, WANEO is strongly calling on the United Nations ,the African Union ,the ECOWAS , the European Union ,France , the International Community and Civil Society to as a matter of regional and international peace and security importance to critically monitor the developments in Guinea by demanding the immediate release of President Alpha Conde and further impose all relevant regional and international sanctions on the new military government of Guinea to adopt urgent measures in returning the Country to constitutional democracy where the Guinean people decide who lead them towards the realization of their national development aspirations .

WANEO wish to respectfully call on the President of the Republic of Ghana H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the current Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) to as a matter of regional peace and security interest and importance convene and extraordinary crisis meeting with fellow Heads of States of the ECOWAS Member Countries on the current political governance and security situation in Guinea towards returning the Country to constitutional democracy as soon as possible.

WANEO is further calling on the leadership of ECOWAS and the African Union with the support of the United Nations Security Council in leveraging on strategic diplomatic sanctions and mediation efforts with the leadership of the new Military Junta in Guinea towards securing the immediate release of deposed and arrested President Alpha Conde who is currently in the military custody. AU and ECOWAS must apply all the available appropriate diplomatic sanctions in securing the release of the detained former president  of Guinea Alpha Conde and also demanding the return of the Country to civilian rule.

Signed.

Rev. Kingsley Amoah

(Executive Director)