Ana Rita Sithole (Mozambique) and Carlos Zorrinho (Portugal) Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, firmly condemn the ongoing coups in Niger and in Gabon and call for a swift return to the constitutional order.

The Co-Presidents express deep concern over the current situation in the two countries and over the alarming trend of unconstitutional transfer of powers in Western and Central Africa in recent years.

They call on the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), the European Union (EU), and all other international actors to support the African Union and the ECOWAS (in the case of Niger) in their efforts to ensure immediate and unconditional return of the order in Niger and Gabon. They call on all parties to give priority to peaceful political avenues, and a rapid return to democratic constitutional order in these countries.

The Co-Presidents express their solidarity with the people of Niger and Gabon and emphasise the importance of the protection of population.