Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have strongly condemned recent coup attempts in Guinea-Bissau and Benin, warning that such actions pose a serious threat to peace, democratic governance, and regional stability.

The condemnation was issued at the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, held at the Nigerian State House in Abuja, with the backing of the African Union and the United Nations.

The Authority commended ECOWAS for the swift deployment of its standby force to Benin, which helped foil a coup attempt on December 7. The intervention was widely praised by leaders as clear evidence of the regional bloc’s resolve to protect constitutional order and deter unconstitutional changes of government across West Africa.

The meeting was attended by several heads of state and senior officials from across the region. Nigeria was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Others present included ECOWAS Chair and President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio; President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana; Benin’s Minister for Foreign Affairs; President José Maria Neves of Cabo Verde; Côte d’Ivoire’s Vice President; as well as Presidents Adama Barrow of The Gambia, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, and Faure Gnassingbé of Togo. Guinea-Bissau and Guinea, both currently suspended from ECOWAS, were not represented at the summit.

The discussions took place against the backdrop of persistent political instability in the sub-region over the past five years, marked by military takeovers in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023. The recent incidents in Benin and Guinea-Bissau have further heightened concerns about the fragility of democratic institutions in parts of West Africa.

Ahead of the official opening ceremony, heads of state held a closed-door meeting lasting about three hours to deliberate on pressing regional challenges. Following the opening session, leaders returned to private discussions to consider key agenda items, including the future direction of the ECOWAS community, the 2025 annual report, regional security threats, ongoing mediation efforts, and political transitions, particularly in Guinea.