The ECOWAS Commission anticipates every possible scenario on the process and outcome surrounding the December 4th presidential election in The Gambia. Accordingly, in addition to consultative engagements with Gambian political actors, the Commission has begun training them on how to prevent and mitigate pre- and post-election-related disputes while ensuring peaceful electoral outcomes through dialogue and mediation.
The ECOWAS Commission’s consultative engagements and the training have started this Monday and will last ten days. The participants are from the Inter-Party Committee (IPC), the traditional and faith-based leaders, the relevant civil society organizations, the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), TANGO, the National Council for Civic Education (NNCE), the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), National Youth Council (NYC), the Local Authorities and Community leaders.
Along with the consultative engagements and the training, these participants will acquire practical techniques and skills for dialogue and mediation to handle any potential post-December 4th electoral conflicts.
They will also familiarize themselves with the ECOWAS’ constitutional convergence principles and the normative and legal frameworks for transparent and peaceful elections.
In the end, the stakeholders will develop strategic and operational conflict prevention and mitigation frameworks in line with the ECOWAS preventive diplomacy and mediation instruments, including the critical role which the recently reconstituted Council of the Wise (CoW).
Representatives of governmental platforms involved in dialogue and mediation and those of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), including the Media and Women and Youth representatives, are equally participating in this process facilitated by the Directorate of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security with the support of the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) through its African Peace Programme.
