ECOWAS decides to establish a military force to combat armed groups in the region
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has decided to establish a military force of 2,000 members to combat the activity of armed groups in the region, diplomatic and military sources said Tuesday.
“The force, which was decided to form at a meeting of West African military commanders last weekend in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, is a reserve force and will be made up of elements based in their home countries and ready to deploy when needed”, ECOWAS said.
A senior Nigerian military official said that a counter-terrorism force had been drawn up, adding that the number would be around 2,000 in the first phase.
“The deliberations focused on the escalating terrorist threat, the expansion of transnational organized crime, and the ongoing challenges associated with maritime insecurity,” he said.
The Sierra Leonean source said that the forces stationed in their home countries will provide them with a logistical base in Sierra Leone.
ECOWAS has yet to issue an official statement on the military force, which has been talked about for years, in light of the expansion of the activity of armed groups in the region.
During the Freetown meeting, cooperation between ECOWAS and the Sahel Alliance of States, which includes three countries that had earlier withdrawn from the West African Organization, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, was encouraged.
The latest Global Terrorism Index indicates that the Sahel region has become a global hub for terrorism due to the activity of armed groups mainly linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State organization.
