The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of the Wise has warned regional governments against being proxy frontiers of foreign powers.
The ECOWAS Council of the Wise, under the Chairmanship of former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, warned that if relevant stakeholders tolerate foreign interference, the region will become a place of wider conflict.
This was disclosed in a statement tweeted on the ECOWAS X page on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
The council stated,
The council also called on political leaders to consider posterity and prioritize the interest of their people.
It explained that the pursuit of participatory and people-oriented governance processes will lead to peace, security, and stability in the region.
It expressed concerns over the systemic nature of corruption, money laundering, and transnational organized crime, and their impact on sustainable development in the region.
But it noted that member-states can co-operate and collaborate to address the aforementioned transnational challenges.
The statement added,