In a move to guarantee peace in the West African sub-region, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has pledged to assist member states battling terrorism through a standby force. The initiative comes as an institutional framework to counter the escalating trend of insecurity in some countries in the sub-region and the Sahel. ECOWAS aims to raise $2.4 billion for the establishment of the standby force. This is a commendable development.
The ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, made the disclosure at a recent consultative meeting of the commandants of the three designated ECOWAS Training Centres of Excellence, in Abuja. The three centres of excellence are the National Defence College (Nigeria); Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (Ghana) and Ecole de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beye (Mali).
The consultative engagement is a bi-annual event coordinated by the Directorate of Peacekeeping and Regional Security of ECOWAS. It aims at supporting training, capacity building, research and development of the ECOWAS Standby Force and the general peace and security within the sub-region.
Musah also highlighted the severity of the terrorist threat in the region, with Burkina Faso now surpassing Afghanistan as the most terrorised state.
He said: “We are faced with the nightmare of having one of our member states being completely occupied by terrorist groups. If they set up a front base in one country then no country is safe, and we have already seen the impact of that on some of the coastal countries – Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire – over the past few years.”
The fears expressed by ECOWAS are in order. All countries in the sub-region have been grappling with insecurity manifested in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes, with attendant human and material losses.
In Nigeria, Boko Haram has been a major threat to peace and communal existence, especially in the North-East region. Due to the unceasing menace of the group, the former military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, recently categorised it as perhaps the major threat to the peace and development of Nigeria since the civil war.
Since the sect embarked on its murderous mission in 2009, it has left in its trails sorrow and destruction. Various sectors of the national life have been grossly affected by the activities of the sect. Schools, markets and worship centres have been attacked by members of the group. Farmers can no longer access their farms because of fear of attacks.
Up till the end of 2020, insurgency-related conflicts had claimed almost 350,000 lives in the North-eastern part, according to a 2021 United Nations Develop Programme (UNDP) findings. The figure must have been conservative considering unreported cases. As it is in Nigeria, so it is in other countries in the sub-region. With borders that are not adequately policed, the criminals move from one territory to another unrestrained.
The seriousness of the issue might have prompted President Bola Tinubu to call for the establishment of a regional counter-terrorism centre that will serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and capacity building throughout the continent. He also recommended comprehensive approach to the scourge and addressing its root causes.
Membership of some member states of the organisation, is currently uncertain. There is need to put the house in order. A divided bloc cannot achieve the objective. It is time for the constituting countries to close their ranks and come together to shoulder the responsibility.
Addressing the menace is not a task for one country alone. Member states should contribute in terms of manpower, intelligence to make the dream a reality. One country cannot do it alone. No doubt, the standby force will guarantee peace and security in the sub-region.
In addition, ECOWAS should seek partnership with foreign countries in areas of logistics and capacity building to achieve the laudable objective. Beyond the institutional efforts to tackle terrorism in West Africa, ECOWAS leaders need to embrace the culture of good governance. Creating jobs for the youths will go a long way in addressing terrorism and other violent crimes in the sub-region.