President George Weah says the Mano River Union continues to be a vehicle of aspiration for diplomacy, peace, security, stability, democracy, and development for the sub-region, but the effective execution of its mandate remains challenged due porosity of borders.
According to President Weah, the porosity of the MRU borders is facilitating easy movements of small arms and light weapons, contraband, and also facilitates other cross-border crimes and illegal operations.
Speaking at the Mano River Union Conference held in Margibi County, he said these unfortunate experiences must inform member states’ quest for durable diplomacy, peace, security, and democracy in the sub-region.
He said the move by the Mano River Union, along with ECOWAS, UNOWAS, and other partners to revise their 2012 15th Protocol on Peace, Security and Defense is crucial, admits threats posed by these situations.
This ECOWAS-MRU collaboration, he believes, should be viewed as part of the ongoing ECOWAS and AU reform processes; in which the decentralization of regional and sub-regional responsibilities are undertaken to reduce cost and ensure the sustainability of peace, security, and democracy, at the local level of development.
President Weah, therefore, wants the MRU-ECOWAS collaboration to support conflict management, resolution, and political transformation in Guinea as an added impetus to the proposed revision of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
At the same time, President Weah propose the establishment of a merged ECOWAS-AU-MRU Mission, supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and Peacebuilding Fund.
This establishment according to the Liberian Leader, will mediate the current Guinean transitional arrangements being undertaken to prepare Guinea for democratic elections and constitutional democracy.
