The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has observed the rise of an alliance of coup plotters preparing to defend themselves against the sub-regional body.
According to Commissioner of Political Affairs and Security, Abdul-Fatau Musah, the military government in Burkina Faso is in preparation to deploy troops to Niger in defence of a possible ECOWAS intervention.
“There is an association of coup plotters that have banded together apparently to defend themselves against ECOWAS. Mali, Burkina Faso, and others”, he said.
The Commissioner further revealed, “Burkina Faso is even trying to deploy troops to Niger in order to prepare for an eventual intervention by ECOWAS”.
Military overthrow is rife in the West African sub-region over agitations for good governance.
Ambassador Musah, speaking at the opening of the ECOWAS Observation Mission in Liberia, revealed security in these coup-plagued countries continues to deteriorate.
“The military who overthrow a democratically elected government are overseeing the rapid deterioration of security in their country. Today, almost sixty to seventy percent of Burkina Faso is under terrorist control”, he said.
Liberians go to the polls on Monday to elect its President and legislators.
For about twenty years, the once war-torn country is enjoying peace.
Ambassador Musah believes there is a need for the citizenry to give democracy a chance to grow.
“This election is the other side of the picture that democracy can work and democracy is working in some part of West Africa. People should know that liberal democracy as we know it today is barely thirty years old, not everything can be solved in one generation”.
He added, “there is still a lot to do to achieve economic development and others that go with the electoral process that we have. There must be the development dividend of the democracy we have”.
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/car-under-broken-icy-tree-after-freezing-rain.jpg?id=60061323&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C112%2C0%2C112"/><br/><br/><p>Much of Quebec is waking up in the dark after a powerful spring storm swept through the province Tuesday night, bringing intense winds and thunderstorms.</p><p><a href="https://infopannes.solutions.hydroquebec.com/info-pannes/pannes/bilan-interruptions-service" target="_blank">According to Hydro-Québec</a>, nearly 144,000 customers lost power at the peak of the event on the evening of April 29, and as of Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. , close to 90,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity.</p><p>The hardest-hit region is the Laurentians, where over 22,000 addresses remain in the dark. Other major outages are affecting:</p><p>Montérégie: 16,596 customers<br/> Laval: 12,853<br/> Montréal: 11,729</p><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/hydro-quebec" target="_blank">Hydro-Québec</a> says winds exceeding 100 km/h caused widespread damage to infrastructure, with many electrical components needing full replacement. Over 500 teams are currently working on repairs, and crews are being moved from less-affected areas to speed up restoration in critical zones.</p><p>The utility urges residents to be cautious and avoid any fallen wires or damaged equipment. Updates are being posted regularly on Hydro-Québec's Info-Pannes map.</p><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/environment-canada" target="_blank">Environment Canada</a> had issued warnings ahead of the storm, with gusts strong enough to raise the risk of tornado formation in parts of Outaouais and other regions.</p><p>Because of the storm, a <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/town-of-rosemere-generalized-precautionary-boiling-notice-867232642.html" target="_blank">precautionary boil water advisory</a> has been in place since Tuesday night for residents of Rosemère, Lorraine, and Bois-des-Filion in the Laurentians.</p><span></span><p>Hydro-Québec says it's aiming to restore service as quickly as possible, but with this level of damage, some outages may last longer than usual.</p><p>To track outages in real time, you can consult <a href="https://infopannes.solutions.hydroquebec.com/info-pannes/pannes/bilan-interruptions-service" target="_blank">Hydro-Québec's Outage Info</a> map on their official website.</p><p><br/></p><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p><p><br/></p><p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p><p><br/></p><p><em>This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.</em></p><p><br/></p>
<p><img width="840" height="532" src="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye.png" class="attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="Faye" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye.png 840w, https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye-300x190.png 300w, https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Faye-768x486.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" /></p>
<h2>The 44-year-old opposition candidate, <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/topic/faye/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bassirou Diomaye Faye</a>, has been sworn in as the fifth Senegalese president.</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.naijanews.com/"><strong>Naija News</strong></a> reports that Faye has become the youngest elected president on the African continent.</p>
<p>The new president took over from the immediate past president, Macky Sall, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in an event witnessed by African leaders in the new town of Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar.</p>
<p>Nigeria’s President and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bola Tinubu, also witnessed the historic event.</p>
<h2 class="mvp-post-title left entry-title"><a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/27/bassirou-diomaye-faye-what-the-world-should-know-about-44-year-old-senegals-president-elect/">What You Should Know About 44-year-old President</a></h2>
<p>1. Faye was born in Ndiaganiao, M’Bour, Thies, Senegal, on March 25 1980.</p>
<p>2. He previously held the position of General Secretary in the now-defunct political party PASTEF (Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité), which translates to African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity. The party was established in 2014 by Ousmane Sonko.</p>
<p>3. After obtaining his baccalaureate in 2000, Faye achieved a master’s degree in law. He successfully passed both competitive exams and was admitted to the National School of Administration (ENA) and the magistracy in 2004.</p>
<p>4. Following his graduation, he joined the Tax and Estates department as a tax inspector, where he crossed paths with Sonko, a fellow alumni from the same school.</p>
<p>5. In 2014, Faye and Sonko’s bond strengthened within the Taxes and Estates Union, initiated by Sonko. During this period, Faye actively advocated for simplifying the process of homeownership for tax and property agents.</p>
<p>6. As the leader of PASTEF and Senegal’s primary opposition figure, Sonko publicly endorsed Faye as a presidential candidate in November 2023. This endorsement came amidst uncertainty surrounding Sonko’s own potential candidacy, despite the dissolution of PASTEF a few months earlier.</p>
<p>7. Faye endured more than 11 months of imprisonment due to a Facebook post that authorities considered subversive. Remarkably, he regained his freedom merely 10 days before the presidential election and still emerged victorious.</p>
<p>8. On March 15, 2024, Faye attracted hundreds of supporters at his initial public appearance as a presidential candidate, following an endorsement from Sonko and his release from jail.</p>
<p>9. On the same day, the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and former President Abdoulaye Wade also backed Faye, enhancing his chances of winning the election.</p>
<p>10. Throughout his presidential campaign, Faye pledged to tackle unemployment, strongly opposed corruption, and promised to review energy agreements, all under the slogan “Diomaye mooy Ousmane” in Wolof, aiming to appeal to Senegal’s youth with Sonko’s popularity.</p>
<p>11. Faye, a close ally and friend of Sonko, gained popularity among Senegalese youth who sought a change from Sall’s administration.</p>
<p>12. Faye was arrested on April 14, 2023, outside his office in Dakar. The police detained him on charges of “spreading false information, contempt of court, and defamation of a legal entity” following a social media post.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/04/02/tinubu-other-african-leaders-present-as-44-year-old-faye-gets-sworn-in-as-senegalese-president/">Tinubu, Other African Leaders Present As 44-Year-Old Faye Gets Sworn In As Senegalese President</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.naijanews.com">Naija News</a>.</p>
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