The war against terrorism and insurgency in West Africa and the Sahel region received a boost with the activation of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Standby Force. BENJAMIN SAMSON in this report examines how the initiative will affect counterterrorism operations in the region.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recently activated its Standby Force to curb terrorism and other trans-border crimes in the sub-region.
The Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, announced this during the 43rd edition of the ordinary meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence in Abuja.
The meeting was attended by Chiefs of Defence Staff of ECOWAS countries, except Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which had withdrawn from the sub-regional body.
Others at the meeting were the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs Peace and Security, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah; Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS); Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Naval Staff, Emmanuel Ogalla; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiandeye; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and members of the diplomatic community.
Badaru said the meeting underscores their shared commitments for addressing the critical security challenges confronting the sub-region.
He said, “My charge this morning to you all is for you to take advantage of this gathering and mobilise against those threats against our region.
“Central to the discussion in the coming days as regards pressing issues concerning the ECOWAS standby force, ECOWAS peace support operation as well as maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. I am confident that our deliberation will be matched by spirit of collaboration, innovation and determination as we work towards drafting a comprehensive strategy to address the security challenges in the sub-region.”
According to the Defence Minister, by leveraging their collective expertise, resources and commitment they can make a tangible impact on fostering peace, stability and prosperity in the sub-region.
“In this regard, I am pleased to announce the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force to combat terrorism in the sub-region. The activation of this Force underscores our collective determination to confront the stretch of terrorism with regards to the security of the sub region.
“With regards to the security and to ensure the safety and security of our citizens, before I take my seat, let me express my profound gratitude to each of you for the on-going dedication, professionalism and commitment to the security and well-being of our people,” he added.
The Sahel
Speaking with our reporter, on the need for cooperation among West African countries to unite against violent extremism, the Commandant of Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPTC), Maj.-Gen. Richard Addo Gyanne of the Ghanaian Army, said the Sahel region is the epi-centre of global terrorism.
He said from 2007 to 2023, incidents of terrorism in the region increased from one per cent to 43 per cent.
“As we may all be aware, the security situation in the Sahel is increasingly deteriorating.
“The Sahel and West Africa face unprecedented security challenges that transcend borders, affecting lives, livelihoods, and the stability of our nations-calling for immediate attention and concerted efforts.
“The 2023 Global Terrorism Index has cast a stark spotlight on the Sahel as the epicenter of global terrorism, a reality that demands urgent, collaborative, and innovative responses. In just over a decade, from 2007 to 2023, we have witnessed an alarming surge in terrorist activities, particularly, in the Sahel. In 2007, the region accounted for a mere one per cent of the global death toll due to terrorism.
“However, by 2023, this figure skyrocketed to a staggering 43%. Violent extremists’ groups have moved progressively from Mali to Burkina Faso, now accounting for 58% of all violent extremists’ attacks in the Sahel,” he said.
He said the activities of terrorists were spreading gradually to littoral countries, such as Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, and Togo, with increasing concerns about its potential expansion towards Ghana also.
More threats
Also speaking with this reporter, a scholar on security, who has been researching on terrorism, insurgency, transnational organised crime and state fragility in Africa, Professor Ali Bugaje, highlighted the threats that terrorism posed on the region.
“The Sahel region of Africa, between the Sahara and the tropical savannahs to the South, has emerged as a significant base of groups that want to establish jihadist states.
“A jihadist state is a structure that operates under Islamic law, or Sharia, and is directed by a single leader, or caliph, who combines political and religious roles.
“Groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda are committed to the establishment of these states, denouncing democratic governance,” he said.
He continued: “Their influence and operational model are on the rise. They are radicalising the population, heightening sectarian strife and aggravating the difficulties of already volatile regions.
“Operating in parts of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, these groups aspire to form a jihadist caliphate in the Sahel region.
“The insurgency led by the local al-Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), alongside the conflict involving the Islamic State’s Sahel province, has escalated.”
Highlighting some dangerous attacks in the region, he said, “In October 2024, an offensive by Boko Haram near the Nigerian border resulted in the deaths of around 40 members of the Chadian military.”
He said further, “While Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have become the headquarters of the jihadist groups in the Sahel, the direction of attacks is heading fast to the northern fringes of Togo, Benin and Ghana.
“The number of violent incidents within 50km of the borders of these countries adjacent to the Sahel has surged and now exceeds 450 reported cases annually.
“This presents a clear demonstration of an expansionist terror agenda in the Sahel.”
Active regional body
Contributing, a diplomat, Dr. Ashiru Abiodun, commended the ECOWAS’ leaders, led by Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for establishing the Standby Force.
“The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, under the leadership of Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is moving forward with the recent establishment of the 5, 000-strong ECOWAS Standby Force.
“By so doing, the ECOWAS has proved once again to be one of the most active regional bodies in the world. It has moved ahead of the European Union which is only considering its continental coalition forces due to the fear of Russian expansion into member states if it is allowed to overwhelm Ukraine.
“West Africa also has its fair share of security threats. They exist mainly in form of Islamic terrorists such as Boko Haram, Ansaru, Al Qaeda in the Maghrib, AQIM, and quasi-Janjaweed groups such as armed Fulani herdsmen who operate virtually unchecked throughout most of Nigeria.
“Many of these groups were confronted with the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, built by Nigeria, Chad and Niger Republic. But due to the perceived “unseriousness” by the Nigerian government and the recent pull out of Niger from the coalition, the MNJTF collapsed. The activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force may help in mitigating this void.
“With the activation of this Force, ECOWAS is expected to move to the next stage of its evolution: creating a common currency and market to leverage the comparative advantages of its member-states.”
Unity
Likewise, a former spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Saheed Shehu, has urged West African leaders to unite against terrorism, warning that no country can tackle the threats alone.
He called on African leaders, particularly in West Africa, the Sahel region, and the Lake Chad Basin, to separate security from politics and collaborate in the fight against terrorism.
Shehu stressed that no single country can tackle the issue alone.
“The African leaders in West Africa, in the Lake Chad Basin region, in the Sahel region, have to remove security from politics. They may have international disagreements on some realignments in their geopolitics, but certainly, to tackle the issue of terrorism, they have to come together or else everybody will be a loser. There is no country that can do it alone.
“We are really in a very difficult geopolitical area, and the countries have to do more to solve these terrorism issues. Unfortunately, while we’re struggling with this, there’s fragmentation, with ECOWAS breaking up with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Counterterrorism is an international issue; it crosses borders. As long as there is no concerted approach across borders, certainly no one country can do it alone,” he added.
Shehu further noted that if one country fights terrorism independently, insurgents could relocate across borders and use neighboring countries as bases for launching further attacks.
He emphasised the need for a unified regional strategy to prevent terrorists from exploiting weak border security and regional disputes.
Funding for the Force
Also, another diplomat and former Nigerian representative at Africa Union, Mike Ugboje, advocated for adequate funding of the Force.
He said, “I call on ECOWAS to learn from its own recent blunders and ensure that the Standby Force is responsibly run. It should be utilised only for peace-keeping purposes and to help member states ward off threats, such as the Jihadist outfits which have found the vast open Sahelian Africa a fertile ground to breed in.
“This vermin and its sponsors must be made to understand that they are not welcome in West African soil.
“Also, this Force must not be deployed for offensive action against any country or regime in power. We must respect the sovereignty of countries and adopt the mechanism of diplomacy and sanctions rather than kinetic responses to internal affairs of member-nations.”
He said further, “To combat the threats posed by jihadist groups in the Sahel, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) can explore diverse strategies with military, political and socio-economic dimensions.
“ECOWAS has suggested the potential deployment of a regional Standby Force to reinforce counter-terrorism operations in West Africa. It will need funding, estimated at US$2.6 billion annually.
“ECOWAS can also initiate programmes that empower civil society in efforts towards peace-building. By fostering resilience within communities, the region can counter jihadist recruitment efforts.
“ECOWAS Standby Force should avoid the mistake of abandoning its funding and operational responsibilities to Nigeria alone. The near-absence of other member countries during its recent inauguration spoke volumes. Nigeria is already overburdened with insecurity.
“Nigeria can’t carry ECOWAS defence burden alone. The Force requires sufficient resources, with member-states working to mobilise internal resources for its operations”
CDS’ disclosures
Speaking on the Standby Force, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, said it “demonstrates a collective drive towards addressing the various security threats that afflict the region.”
Gen. Musa said the military leaders were aware that without a secure and conducive environment, economic growth and development will continue to elude the region.
He, therefore, urged the Armed Forces to support the political leadership by entrenching a conducive and secure environment for economic development to thrive.
This, he said, was in recognition that today’s threats are not only complex and adaptive, but they pervade and in some cases traverse countries in the sub-region.
He commended the foresight of past leaders for setting up the platform to leverage for collective action against a common threat.
“The complexity of the security landscape demands that we leverage our collective expertise, intelligence assets and coordinate our efforts across borders if we must solve these challenges, as the world has become a global village and the gap between us shrinking even more. Thus, collaboration is paramount and imperative to address both the root causes and symptoms of insecurity in our region,” he said.