President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Touray
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has unveiled plans to establish a robust 260,000-member rapid deployment counter-terrorism brigade to bolster security across the subregion.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, announced this initiative during the first African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit in Abuja on Monday, represented by Amb. Abdel-Fattah Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
Touray emphasized the urgency of the initiative, stating, “Given the asymmetric security dynamics in our region, this bold initiative has become necessary.”
He revealed that ECOWAS aims to support frontline states with logistics and financing, with a meeting of Ministers of Finance and Defence scheduled for Friday in Abuja to finalize a $2.5 billion annual budget.
“We are conscious that this requires substantial financial resources and capabilities, and we call on bilateral and multilateral partners to support this daring regional effort,” he added.
Highlighting the brigade’s role, Touray noted that it would align with the African Union’s standby force framework under the African Peace and Security Architecture.
He underscored the dire security situation in the Sahel, which he described as “the epicentre of global terrorism, accounting for 51 percent of terrorism deaths worldwide in 2024.”
Touray further explained the devastating impact on local communities, particularly women and children, saying, “Local communities have borne the brunt of state retreats and coercive protection by jihadi forces, while the war economy from illegal mining and illicit taxation exacerbates insecurity.”
Touray called for increased support from the African Union and the United Nations, referencing UN Security Council Resolution 2719 of December 2023, which commits to funding 75 percent of African-led peace support operations.
The summit, attended by regional leaders, focused on strengthening collaborative efforts to address contemporary security threats across Africa, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
