The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has activated its Standby Force of 5,000 men to curb terrorism and other transborder crimes in the sub-region.
Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, announced this during the 43rd ordinary meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence in Abuja yesterday.
The meeting was attended by Chiefs of Defence Staff of ECOWAS member countries except Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which had withdrawn from the sub-regional body.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), General 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 underscored their shared commitment to addressing the critical security challenges confronting the sub-region.
He called on the West African Chiefs of Defence Staff to close ranks to break the cycle of terrorism and armed violence confronting the region.
According to Badaru, 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,” Badaru said.
“The activation of this force underscores our collective determination to confront the stretch of terrorism with regard to the security of the subregion.
“We must as a sub-region therefore recognise that our strife towards economic growth and development will invariably be fundamental to a home-grown sustainable peace and security.
“We as stakeholders in the sub-region must identify and strictly adjust to the changing order of the global landscape in which emerging threats of terrorism, organised crime, climate change, cybercrime and pandemics respond with respect to our parties.”
