Omar Touray, president of ECOWAS, has called for increased investment in security to address states of emergency across West Africa amid rising military threats and political instability.

Mr Touray made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday during the 55th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level. He linked the urgency to recent military incursions, humanitarian crises, and emergency declarations in several member states.

“The events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community,” Mr Touray said.

He praised ECOWAS’s rapid intervention in Benin under Nigeria’s leadership, describing it as “rapid, flexible and responsive” to citizens’ needs. Mr Touray commended the responses from Presidents Bola Tinubu and John Mahama, and other leaders.

“Collaborations must be sustained to defend democracy. We cannot respond rapidly in one situation and propose a different course in a similar situation. Our credibility is on the line,” he added.

Mr Touray noted high to medium security risks across the region, averaging high, driven by persistent military threats, electoral credibility erosion, terrorism, armed groups, criminal networks, and geopolitical pressures.

Elections have emerged as major drivers of instability despite ECOWAS’s efforts to promote constitutional convergence and support electoral processes.

The council pledged to monitor political and security situations, providing guidance ahead of the 2026 polls in Guinea, Benin, The Gambia, and Cape Verde, while managing the aftermath of Guinea-Bissau’s coup and Benin’s attempted coup.

Priority issues include credible transitions in Guinea, tackling candidate exclusions, countering terrorism and organised crime, and maintaining ECOWAS unity amid geopolitical strains.

During a humanitarian crisis, women and children suffer most from instability, with UNHCR data showing 7.6 million forcibly displaced by October 2025, up from 7.4 million in March.

This includes 6.5 million internally displaced persons in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, plus one million refugees and asylum seekers, hosted mainly in Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and other countries.

“We must take decisions and actions that will reverse this trend,” Mr Touray urged.

Sierra Leone’s foreign affairs minister, Timothy Kabba, reaffirmed the commitment to peace, stability, and democracy, calling the meeting timely amid Guinea-Bissau’s coup and Benin’s attempted coup, as reminders of democratic fragility.

“ECOWAS cannot and will not accept this. These undermine our values and threaten citizens’ peace. Discussions must generate decisions offering real hope and strengthening institutions,” Mr Kabba stated. 

(NAN)