The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission says it has initiated a contingency plan to mitigate unforeseen consequences of the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said this at the meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS) on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Musah said the formal withdrawal of the three countries from the regional bloc on January 29 required a critical analysis of the security arrangement within West Africa and the Sahel.

He called on the ECOWAS defence chiefs to critically examine the implications of their withdrawal on regional security during their deliberations.

According to him, the Central Sahel remains the epicentre of insecurity while the littoral states continue to bear the pressure.

“According to the Global Terrorism Index, Sahel accounted for 51 per cent of global terrorism deaths in 2024.

“Weak governance, ethnic tensions and ecological degradation have fuelled terrorism, worsened by transnational jihadist groups and geo-political competition.

“The Alliance of Sahelian States is changing alliances by removing Western involvements in security and economic sectors and withdrawing from ECOWAS,” he said.

Mr Musah called for a concerted effort to strengthen shared aspirations for a peaceful, secure, and prosperous ECOWAS region.

He said it was expedient for the meeting to further give momentum to the planning for the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in its kinetic form for the fight against terrorism.

He said the meeting was convened to discuss the tasks assigned from the last meeting in August 2024 and to examine recent developments and the general security situation in the region.

“The security situation in the region marked by activities of terrorist armed groups (TAGS), transnational organised crimes and banditry have continued to be a daunting challenge.

“It is heart-warming to disclose to this distinguished body the giant strides made by ECOWAS towards the operationalisation of the Regional Logistics Depot in Lungi, Sierra Leone.

“While noting that the physical construction of sites one and two are fully completed, its furnishing is currently being done by ECOWAS,’’ he said.

The current members of ECOWAS attended the meeting.

The Chiefs of Defence Staff in attendance are those of the Benin Republic, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo. 

(NAN)