Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, has lamented that the greatest challenge facing the ECOWAS sub-region is security.
Brou also said as a result of insecurity in the sub-region, economic, social and human advancement is being held back.
He made the submission during the 42nd Session of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) of ECOWAS in Abuja, even as the MSC deliberated on ways to improve the security situation of the region.
The MSC is made up of ECOWAS member states’ ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence.
He said: “Almost every month, our region is hit by terrorist attacks which plunge our populations into mourning. The problem has become more complex with ruthless inter-communal clashes that pose a threat to the social cohesion of our countries.”
Brou however called on member states to implement the Lomé Declaration on Peace, Security, Stability and the Fight against Terrorism and Violent Extremism which was adopted during the joint ECOWAS-Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) summit in July 2018.
“He stressed the need for ECOWAS to consider other patterns of relationships and strengthen cooperation with geopolitical blocs with which it shares the same vulnerabilities, given the transnational nature of security threats and the porosity borders in the region,” the ECOWAS Commission said in a statement.
Brou also presented to the MSC, memoranda on the political and security situation in the region which included the status of the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB) and the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG), as well as one on the issuance of ECOWAS Exemption Certificate by the President of the Commission in case of “extreme” emergency.
“In addition, the Council was briefed on the report of the 3rd June 2019 MSC Ambassadorial level meeting by Ambassador Babatunde Nurudeen,” the ECOWAS Commission added.
On his part, the Chairman of the MSC and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mustapha Suleiman, recalled the important milestones directed at the strengthening of democracy, peace and stability in the sub-region.
“ECOWAS has taken concrete steps through increased engagement with its member states in tackling security threats in the region, in particular terrorist insurgency in the Sahel, and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which have been major concerns,” Suleiman said.