From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has said that over 7,000 people have been killed within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region between January and May 2024, as a result of 800 terrorist attacks.
Tuggar, who stated this during the opening ceremony of the 52nd ECOWAS Ministerial Meeting of the Mediation and Security Council, disclosed that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger were the worst hit in the sub-region.
He explained that the figures were from the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN), which painted a sobering picture of the sub-region.
The immediate past Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Germany stated that the West African sub-region is faced with grave security and humanitarian challenges, adding that terrorism continued to threaten the collective well-being of the sub-region.
He added that violent extremists operate within and across ECOWAS national borders, compromising not just peace and security, but also the prospects for growth and development.
“Therefore, as we commence our deliberation today, let us be mindful of the critical threats we face – and the collective actions required to overcome them.
“The statistics from the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) paint a sobering picture. Between January and May 2024, our region has witnessed over 7,000 deaths as a result of more than 800 terrorist incidents. Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have been particularly devastated by this relentless violence. This stark reality highlights the staggering human cost of insecurity, and underscores the urgency for coordinated and decisive action to combat this menace,” Tuggar said.
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Tuggar also said terrorism does not recognise borders, saying that from the Sahel to the coastal states, no country is immune to its devastating impact.
“It is therefore crucial for every country within ECOWAS, including those in the Sahelian belt, to understand that the fight against terrorism is not the burden of a few but a collective responsibility. Therefore, we must remain united, and demonstrate unwavering commitment and resolve to safeguard the lives and futures of our citizens.
“And as we join forces to find common solutions to the continuing challenge of violent extremism and foreign interference, we should also remain mindful of the broader challenge of cooperation to help tackle the underlying causes of instability in our region: climate change, migration, organised criminal activity, global terms of trade and access to financing,” Tuggar also said.
Tuggar, however, said despite the challenges that confront the sub-region, ECOWAS has continued to sustain its peace support operations in some member states, including the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (SSMGB) and the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG), as well as the ongoing plans for the deployment of an ECOWAS Stabilisation Mission in Sierra Leone, given recent developments there.
He explained that ECOWAS has also been actively addressing humanitarian challenges in the region, through coordinated efforts and strategic interventions in member states, adding that through the interventions, food items and other relief materials have been provided to communities most affected by natural disasters and insecurity.
In his remarks, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, said as ECOWAS commemorates the 49th anniversary of its collective regional integration project, the sub-region is still confronted with multiple interlocking threats, including existential ones, posing significant challenges.
“The Sahel faces climate and man-made crises, leading to terrorism and violent extremism. The Gulf of Guinea faces illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and dumping of toxic waste; thus affecting livelihoods. Governance deficits and marginalisation strain social contracts, fostering organised crime and resource competition and violence. To complicate the situation, our region has also become the arena of multipolar geostrategic and geopolitical competition, coupled with the explosion of new destructive technologies,” Touray said.
Touray also said the sub-region is also affected by strategies of misinformation and disinformation practices that foster mistrust among stakeholders and undermine social cohesion.
He further said one can witness the continued shrinking of the political and civic space, exclusionary constitutional and institutional processes and breaches of the region’s values, including the constitutional convergence criteria of the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
“Amidst this gloomy picture, we are encouraged by the rays of hope in democratic consolidation as demonstrated by recent electoral successes in Senegal and Liberia. Promoting dialogues, truth, justice, and reconciliation processes are also taking place, often with the facilitation or support of ECOWAS, such as in Sierra Leone and The Gambia.
“The continued standoff between the Alliance of Sahelian States and ECOWAS is preoccupying and undermines the integrity of the regional integration agenda. Against this backdrop, our region continues to face challenges of governance, development deficits and the rapidly changing geostrategic and geopolitical enjoinment that threatens regional cohesion and the integration process.
“The Commission has, in light of the foregoing, commenced technical preparations towards the holding of an inclusive Special Summit on the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa.
“In our effort to find lasting solutions to this situation, the ECOWAS Ambassadors met on 29 June 2024 at the Mediation and Security Council session to discuss the political and security situation in the Region, to deliberate on the efforts being undertaken by the ECOWAS commission at the political, security, humanitarian and preventive diplomacy levels and to agree on the agenda items for this Session,” Touray further said.
On his part, the Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of UNOWAS, Mr Leonardo Simao, said the United Nations commends the continuous and sustained efforts by ECOWAS to address the challenges facing the sub-region since your last session held here in Abuja in December.
Simao also said, on its part, and in the spirit of complementarity, “we the United Nations had continued engagements with various actors and relevant stakeholders in and beyond the sub-region.
“This, as part of efforts to contribute to a lasting solution to the standoff between ECOWAS and the three Member States which have indicated their intention to withdraw from the regional bloc.
“Our engagements have also been carried out within the framework of addressing security challenges, consolidating democracy and good governance, and promoting development in our sub-region,” Simao said.
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