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ECOWAS Parliament pushes for immediate solutions to region's humanitarian crisis

Lawmakers of the ECOWAS Parliament says its seeking to invoke its parliamentary powers to resolve the humanitarian crisis across region.

This is following the report presentation by the Parliamentary Joint committee on Political Affairs, Peace and Security and APRM/Legal and Judicial Affairs, Human Rights, Protection of the Child and Vulnerable Groups on the security of the Region.

As contained in the report, the political situation in the Republic of Guinea as well as the political and security situation in Mali among others, calls for serious attention most especially as it regards to pre and post-election situations, and which also arises from the preparedness level for the presidential elections that are planned in 2020. 

Honourable Snowe Jnr of Liberia responding to the report said that there is an urgent need for the ECOWAS Parliament to utilize its power and be proactive to crisis.

He said “one of our colleague right here from Guinea comes to this parliament in tears because people there are dying. Mali has situation, Cote d’Ivoire is boiling, and ECOWAS Parliament we are sitting down, and we have spent almost one month in Abuja."

“Even the period while we are here, if we are to set up a mission to go to Conakry and come back and report to this plenary and debate an issue here, or go to Cote d’Ivoire, send a delegation to debate the issue, go to Mali and do same we will have a better situation” He added.

Snowe said “this is a serious matter, our Supplementary Act cannot be about going on mission by will and pleasure, this is not an executive body, this is a parliament, this is the people's representatives, it is a legislative branch, it cannot just be about pleasure."

“Next year we have six elections in our region, if the ECOWAS Parliament cannot be proactive, than coming to listen to fabricated country reports, our essence will be undermined," he said.

Similarly, Hon. Chernor Bah of Sierra Leone added that there is a need for the Parliamentarians to execute their Parliamentary Diplomacy.

He said, “We owe the people of this sub-region a responsibility, we cannot come to ECOWAS Parliament and sit here and pretend as if everything is normal when we know for fact that things are not normal then we will be doing a undeserving thing to the citizens we are representing in this place”.

“We are not lawmakers that are coming to this place to make laws, but we are here under our protocol, and that protocol must be respected. There is nothing stopping us from executing our Parliamentary diplomacy, I am sure that they will yield fruits, they will definitely yield fruits” Chernor Bah added.

Speaking to the 3rd Deputy Speaker, Hon. Orlando Pereira Diaz, who presided over the Plenary, said “Mr Speaker, today you are presiding, make sure that your names goes down as well as one of those who contributed in ensuring that we reignite our Parliamentary Diplomacy in executing what will bring peace to our sub region. 

Also, Hon Marie-Anne Fofana of Guinea said, “Things are serious in Guinea. Yesterday there were demonstrations and tomorrow there will be demonstrations, and after those demonstrations there are always casualties. I am not fighting for the sake of politics but it is for development policy, there has been some losses of lives and more still happening. 

“I am really crying, this an appeal that let us go and see the people of Guinea, this is an appeal, I am sorry to take this time but it is time for us to rise, and save our country. Why are the former heads of state going there, we really have to be ashamed, we the members of ECOWAS Parliament who claimed to be part of 15 ECOWAS States."

“Today it is Guinea, tomorrow it may be another country, when a neighbours’ house is burning you should go and put off the fire otherwise it will get to your house. Let us rise and save our Sub-Region," she said.

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