Following the suspension of the Republic of Guinea from the African Union (AU) Commission, Sierra Leone has been selected to serve as a member of the Bureau of the Sub-Committee on Refugees of the AU on an interim basis in place of Guinea.
The decision was unanimously agreed upon by ECOWAS Ambassadors based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during their Monthly Group Meeting held on 10th November, 2009 at the residence of the Ghanaian Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
The regional bloc ECOWAS has also imposed sanctions and suspended Guinea from the Commission after the failure of the leadership of the National Council for Democracy and Development to declare his intent of non participation in the promised Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU, His Excellency Ambassador Andrew Bangali(photo) informed the group that Sierra Leone has expressed its intent to the Commission of becoming a member of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to occupy one of the four seats allocated to the sub-region and that the ECOWAS Dean was informed accordingly.
On the development aspect in Sierra Leone, Ambassador Bangali also notified his colleagues of the commissioning of the Bumbuna Hydro Project by His Excellency President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma on 6th November 2009; a project which he stated took over 30 years to be constructed.
The Head of Chancery at the Sierra Leone Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mr. Francis Kandeh also attended the meeting.
The Dean of ECOWAS Ambassadors and Burkina Faso’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, His Excellency Bruno Zidouemba chaired the meeting.
Meanwhile, Rahemat Momodu ECOWAS’ Liaison Officer to the AU briefed the Ambassadors about the workings of the Organization.
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