By Makutu Manneh
General Birame Diop, the new president of the ECOWAS Commission, praised President Adama Barrow for his support of regional integration and warned that the West African bloc was at a critical juncture following the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Speaking to journalists after meeting Mr. Barrow at State House, General Diop said the departure of the three founding members had presented the Economic Community of West African States with one of its most significant challenges.
“We are at a crossroads,” he said, adding that many people across the region continued to hope that the three countries would eventually return to the bloc.
General Diop was in The Gambia with a delegation to attend the inaugural annual conference of the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority, a gathering focused on competition policy, regional markets, and economic integration.
President Barrow had been expected to preside over the conference but was unable to attend, General Diop said. He subsequently requested an audience with the president at State House.
General Diop said the meeting gave him an opportunity to thank Mr. Barrow for supporting Senegal’s bid for the presidency of the ECOWAS Commission and for what he described as The Gambia’s broader commitment to the regional organization. He also thanked Gambians for the hospitality extended to him and his delegation.
During their discussions, General Diop said President Barrow emphasized the role ECOWAS has played in promoting peace, security, and stability in West Africa and pledged continued support for the organization and its new leadership.
General Diop succeeds Dr. Omar Alieu Touray of The Gambia as president of the ECOWAS Commission. He said his administration would seek to build on projects initiated under his predecessor.
“We will do our best to continue all the projects that were initiated by our brother, Dr. Omar Touray,” he said.
But much of the discussion centered on the future of ECOWAS following the departure of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which formally withdrew from the organization amid widening political and diplomatic divisions in the region.
General Diop said he and President Barrow discussed initiatives aimed at maintaining constructive relations with the three countries and gradually rebuilding ties that could eventually pave the way for their return.
“The president and I discussed all the necessary initiatives we need to undertake so that we remain constructively engaged with those founding member states and see gradually how we can get closer for their return to ECOWAS,” he said.
General Diop’s assumption of office comes during a significant leadership transition within the regional organization. Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye serves as chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, while General Diop now leads the commission’s executive arm.
General Diop said the close historical relationship between Senegal and The Gambia would help reinforce cooperation as ECOWAS confronts questions over regional unity, security and the future of integration in West Africa.
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