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ABUJA, Nigeria – Regional analysts are skeptical of the so-called counter-terrorism standby force announced by the Economic Community of West African States on Sunday. Critics say that while Nigeria’s president said the force was ready to deploy, ECOWAS has not provided any details on its size, bases, funding or mode of operation.
Nigerian President and ECOWAS Chairman Bola Tinubu announced the so-called “activation” of the counter-terrorism standby force while addressing African leaders at an African Union meeting in Ghana on Sunday.
The force, first proposed after the August 2023 coup in Niger, is expected to consist of military, police and civilian components and be co-sponsored by ECOWAS member states.
However, ECOWAS member States have yet to decide which countries will send personnel and from where the operation will be carried out.
Tinubu told leaders at a summit on Sunday that ECOWAS was exploring options to fund the force.
Two weeks ago, three former ECOWAS member states – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – announced a federation, meaning they would permanently withdraw from ECOWAS.
These three countries were suspended from ECOWAS due to the military takeover of the government and eventually withdrew from the organization.
Security analyst Senator Irogbu said the creation of a joint ECOWAS force to fight terrorism is a good idea but questioned the regional bloc’s readiness.
“With Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso pulling out and forming their own (federation), that tends to weaken any arrangement because those three countries are really the epicentres of the terrorism we are talking about,” he said. “Where will the ECOWAS standby force operate? Is it in Nigeria, which already has its own arrangement?”
ECOWAS said it would continue dialogue with military leaders in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso and planned to hold an extraordinary summit on the future of the alliance.
In April this year, ECOWAS held a counter-terrorism summit in Abuja to develop a strategy to combat terrorism affecting its other member states.
According to the 2023 Global Terrorism Index report, Sub-Saharan Africa has become the epicenter of terrorism, accounting for more than half of global terrorist deaths.
Burkina Faso has the highest death toll, followed by Mali, Nigeria and Niger.
Political affairs analyst Ahmed Buhari said he doubted the success of the ECOWAS force amid uncertainty and instability in the region.
“I don’t find anything new in what ECOWAS reiterated. This is what we have been hearing for the last 15 years or so. We have been talking about it. Terrorist activities have not decreased. In fact, the terrorists seem to be gaining ground and becoming more emboldened,” he said.
Irogbu said if ECOWAS countries want to address the root causes of terrorism, they should focus more on improving governance.
“Besides establishing a counter-terrorist force, there are other non-kinetic measures that need to be taken. If you look closely, the root causes of these problems are non-kinetic issues like good governance, development, inclusivity, a robust electoral process. Once these are in place, even terrorists will find it difficult to survive in such an environment,” he said.
It is not clear when ECOWAS will hold a summit of its three former member states.
Analysts say the chances of success for dialogue among West African countries are slim, but not impossible.
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