President lauds ECOWAS leaders over Burkina Faso peace mission

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday commended the President of Senegal, Macky Sall and his Benin Republic counterpart, Boni Yayi, for their efforts to restore political order in Burkina Faso.

Buhari gave the commendation at an extraordinary meeting of Heads of State and Government of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

He also lauded the efforts of the President of ECOWAS Commission, who was also in Quagadougou to find amicable resolution to the political stalemate in Burkina Faso following a military coup in the country on Thursday.

He noted that the presidents undertook a visit to Quagadougou on Friday, to commence the process of engagement with the leaders of the coup, who had taken over governance in the country.

He, however, stated that the political climate in Burkina Faso was far below democratic expectations, adding that efforts being made so far were to correct the deficiency.

"The recent developments in our sister country, Burkina Faso, run contrary to our expectations.

"The efforts so far deployed towards the restoration of constitutional order and democracy by ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN) and our international development partners is commendable.

"The commitment of the transitional administration of Michel Kafando to the implementation of the programme mandate of the transitional charter has equally been commended by the international community.

"Our meeting today provides the opportunity to review the developments.

"It is also for the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government as well as the President of the ECOWAS Commission to brief the summit on their consultations, while in Quagadougou,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Chairman of ECOWAS, who is also the President of Senegal, Mr Macky Sall, expressed the hope that political stability would soon be restored to Burkina Faso following the intervention of the sub-regional bloc.

Sall recommended that general elections in Burkina Faso earlier slated for Oct. 11 should be shifted to Nov. 21 to ensure successful conduct of the exercise.

He also warned against possible disqualification of aspirants or candidates vying for political offices in the country.The meeting was attended by presidents and heads of government from Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Voire, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Niger and Guinea.