Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government has directed its commission to urgently release $2.85 million each to five member countries—Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo—to support regional counterterrorism efforts.
Gatekeepers News reports that the decision was announced in a communiqué issued after the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, held on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria. According to the communiqué, the funds will be drawn from the ECOWAS regional security fund.
The authority also ordered immediate steps to operationalise the regional counterterrorism brigade, in line with funding mechanisms proposed by ECOWAS ministers of finance and defence. In addition, the commission was instructed to urgently convene meetings of the committees of chiefs of intelligence services and chiefs of defence staff to advance the activation of the brigade.
ECOWAS expressed concern over the worsening security situation across the region, particularly in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, marked by persistent attacks, kidnappings and sabotage carried out by terrorist groups, insurgents and bandits. The bloc noted that six million people in the region have been affected by mass displacement and severe humanitarian crises.
The authority condemned the abduction of schoolchildren in northern Nigeria and commended President Bola Tinubu for securing their release. It also called on the international community, through the African Union and the United Nations Security Council, to urgently and collectively respond to the needs of countries affected by terrorism in the region.
Furthermore, ECOWAS urged member states and directed its commission to sustain engagement with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to strengthen collaboration in addressing the region’s deteriorating security challenges.
At the Abuja summit, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, called on regional leaders to unite against terrorism and military takeovers. He said the external threats confronting the region require nothing less than a united front among member states.
