AMEMNDMENT TO ECOWAS COURT MANDATE: GAMBIA ISOLATED BY STATE PARTIES

Earlier today (30/09/2009), at the just concluded meeting of ECOWAS legal
experts with representatives from 11 member states of the ECOWAS (Benin,
Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali,
Senegal and Togo), the proposal presented by the Gambian government to have
the mandate and procedure of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice amended
was roundly defeated by superior debates and unanimous resolution.

The Government of the Gambia, in response to the plethora of unfavourable
judgments of the Court condemning the incessant violations of human rights
under the present regime, responded with an effort at eroding the mandate of
the Court with a restriction from entertaining human rights matters and
also, restricting individual access to the Court.

After an obvious rejection of this amendment proposal by all in attendance,
Gambia beat a tactical retreat, opting to abide by the popular preponderance
of opinion against the amendment.

The struggle against this proposal and its wider implications for human
rights promotion and protection in the sub-region has therefore moved to the
next stage. The Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General of State parties
of ECOWAS are meeting next week to review and decide on the outcomes of the
Experts committee meeting.

Stakeholders are therefore implored to sustain the advocacy and engagement
of the state parties till the last is heard of the proposed amendment.

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