BREAKING: ECOWAS Declares State Of Emergency In West Africa

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has declared a regional state of emergency.

Officials announced on Tuesday during the 55th session of its Mediation and Security Council in Abuja.

The declaration was delivered by Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, according to a report by TheCable newspaper.

The emergency declaration follows a wave of coups and failed mutinies across the sub-region.

According to Touray, these events underscore the “imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community.”

The decision comes in the wake of a recent coup attempt in the bloc, where military personnel in the Republic of Benin on Sunday claimed to have overthrown Patrice Talon — set to step down next April after a decade in power.