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Against the backdrop of increased terrorist activities and deteriorating regional security, the Chiefs of Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held their 42nd Ordinary Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, from 7 to 9 August 2024. At the end of this meeting, several important decisions were made, including the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force and a new call for Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to rejoin the regional bloc.
One of the main outcomes of the meeting was the decision to activate the ECOWAS Standby Force, an important tool in the fight against terrorism and the maintenance of peace in the region. The force, which will soon be operational, will play a key role in regional security operations. Participants also supported the operationalization of the force’s logistics base in Sierra Leone, with plans to deploy 1,200 troops to strengthen stability and security in the country.
The Chiefs of Staff reiterated the importance of the return of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to ECOWAS.
The three countries, led by military regimes, announced their immediate withdrawal from the organization in January 2024, accusing it of posing a threat to its members. Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff and Chairman of ECOWAS Chiefs of Staff, General Christopher Moussa, stressed that the return of these countries is essential to counter growing security threats, especially the rapidly spreading insurgency in the region. General Moussa said that there can be no progress without security. He also insisted that no country can overcome regional insecurity alone, hence the importance of continued cooperation among all ECOWAS member states. He warned that the absence of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso would weaken the entire region and that the reintegration of these countries is essential to effectively fight the insurgency and other threats.
During the meeting, the Joint Chiefs of Staff also discussed regional challenges, including the increase in activities of armed terrorist groups and violent extremists and the spread of false information.
They agreed that regional security requires joint efforts and collective strategies to address these challenges. The current ECOWAS Chairman, Bola Tinubu, met with the Chiefs of Staff and praised their commitment to regional stability and the protection of democratic institutions. He also stressed the need to convince the military rulers of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to return to ECOWAS and said the organization will continue its efforts to get them back into ECOWAS.
It should be reminded that the ECOWAS standby force was initially created to compensate for coups in the region and to actively fight against Niger’s transitional president Abdoulahmane Tiani for the first time after he came to power, but the project was cancelled after Bamako provided military support to Niamey.
Abdulrahman Traore
Bamako in the evening
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