Abuja: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced an ambitious plan to establish a 260,000-strong rapid deployment counter-terrorism brigade aimed at bolstering the fight against terrorism across the subregion. This initiative, which was revealed during the inaugural African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit in Abuja, requires an estimated annual funding of $2.5 billion.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Dr. Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted the necessity of this initiative in response to evolving security challenges. Represented by Ambassador Abdel-Fattah Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission, Touray emphasized the importance of logistical and financial backing from member states, announcing that Finance and Defence Ministers from ECOWAS countries would convene in Abuja on Friday to finalize the budgetary framework.
Dr. Touray underscored the urgency of this move, citing the asymmetric security threats in t
he region. He called upon bilateral and multilateral partners to support this regional effort, which is intended to complement the African Union’s standby force framework under the African Peace and Security Architecture.
The ECOWAS leader pointed out that the Sahel region has become a global terrorism hotspot, contributing to 51 percent of terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2024. He highlighted the severe impact on local communities, particularly women and children, due to the retreat of state forces and the coercive protection by jihadi factions. Furthermore, he noted the exacerbation of insecurity due to the war economy fueled by illegal mining and illicit taxation.
Touray appealed to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to back regional counter-terrorism initiatives, reminding the attendees of the UN Security Council Resolution 2719 from December 2023, which committed to funding 75 percent of African-led peace support operations.