Abednego Orstin Rawlings, the President of the United States Africa Command Ghana, has lambasted West African leaders for the collapse of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).

He argued that if African leaders had not caused the collapse of ECOMOG, the unrest witnessed in most African countries would not have occurred.

Ortsin believes that the self-centeredness of these leaders collapsed the only monitoring group that intervened to halt numerous civil wars and coups in West Africa.

He cited the example of Niger, where a coup was recently announced.


The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

It was formed in 1990 to end the bloody civil war in Liberia.

Mr. Ortsin wondered why current West African leaders are not thinking of reviving ECOMOG to tackle the current wave of instability within the sub-region.

He criticized African leaders for being self-centered and leaving their citizens to their fate.

“They only think of staying in power forever,” he said. “Guinea’s Alpha Condé tampered with his country’s constitution to stay in power for longer. What did his colleagues and other West African presidents say to him? Nothing. He was not cautioned and instead went ahead to amend his country’s constitution in his favour. A similar situation happened in the Ivory Coast and Senegal, while African leaders sat by and did nothing.”

He also lashed out at ECOMOG for allowing the opposition leader of Senegal, Ousmane Sonko, to be charged and thrown in jail for being seen as a threat to President Macky Sall.

“The opposition leader of Senegal, Ousmane Sonko, was charged and jailed because he was seen as a threat to President Macky Sall,” he said. “This was not the right thing to do if we want democracy to thrive. Most West African states consider Ghana to be the shining star of Africa because no opposition leader here nurtures the idea of overthrowing a democratically elected government. I urge other African leaders to do the same.”

Orstin Rawlings also noted that if European countries are pushing to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), then African countries need to strengthen ties with each other and revive ECOMOG. He also mentioned the United States Africa Command, which is one regional body that is in the driving seat to deal with issues on the continent.

Soldiers in the West African country of Niger announced a coup on national television on July 27. They said they had dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions, and closed the nation’s borders.

Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was held by troops from the presidential guard.

Source: citifmonline