Nigeria-Cote d'Ivoire-ECOWAS Summit - Hundreds of women from several West African nations converged at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, to demand immediate action from West African leaders holding their summit here 23-24 March. Wearing white T-shirts with the inscription 'West African women demand peace in Cote d'Ivoire', they chanted slogans backing their demand and carried placards seeking urgent action in the West African nation that is now in the throes of post-election crisis that is threatening to push the country into war. 'We are demanding an urgent intervention of the West African leaders so that the situation will not degenerate and also to ensure that what is happening in Cote d'Ivoire does not have negative effects on other West African nations due to hold elections soon,' said Omolara Oyela from Nigeria, one of the spokespersons for the women.

Speaking in the same vein, Sartah Dempster from Liberia said 80,000 Ivorians had arrived in Liberia since the crisis started, warning that the number could rise unless an urgent action was taken.

'Liberia is due to hold elections in October and the Ivorian crisis, if unchecked, could have a negative effect on the elections,' she said.

The women, from different women groups across the sub-region, said while they were not advocating a military solution, they wanted the leaders to step up their efforts to resolve the situation in the world's largest cocoa-producing nation.

ECOWAS has threatened to use force to remove incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo if he fails to vacate office peacefully, in favor of Alassane Ouattsra, the man internationally acclaimed to be the winner of the country's presidential election held last year.

Pana 24/03/2011