The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has unveiled plans to set up a 260,000-member counter-terrorism force to fight insecurity in the region.
ECOWAS President, Omar Alieu Touray, said the force will support countries battling terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes. He explained that about $2.5 billion will be needed every year to fund the project. Defence and finance ministers from member states will meet in Abuja this week to decide on funding.
Touray noted that West Africa’s Sahel region has become the world’s terrorism hotspot, responsible for more than half of global terror deaths in 2024. He said the situation requires urgent regional and continental cooperation.
At the summit, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, urged African leaders to take charge of their security, warning that cybercrime, climate change, and violent extremism are worsening instability.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, also called for a united African defence strategy based on trust and intelligence sharing.
The summit was attended by defence chiefs from 36 African countries.
