- ECOWAS to deploy 1,650 troops as part of its standby force, with plans to increase to 5,000 personnel
- Region has recorded 450 attacks and nearly 2,000 deaths in 2025, signalling worsening insecurity
- Terrorist activity now expanding beyond Sahel and Lake Chad Basin into wider West Africa
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced that it will deploy an initial 1,650 personnel from its standby force to confront the rapidly escalating terrorist threat across the region.
The move forms part of a broader accelerated effort to strengthen regional security as extremist violence spreads beyond traditional conflict zones.
Speaking at a high-level United Nations Security Council meeting in New York on enhancing cooperation against terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Alieu Omar Touray outlined the plan.
He revealed that early-warning mechanisms have recorded 450 terrorist attacks and nearly 2,000 deaths in 2025, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Dr. Touray warned that terrorist activity, once concentrated in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, has now extended across a wider span of West Africa, threatening regional stability.
He further highlighted that violent extremist groups are increasingly waging “economic warfare” by attacking critical infrastructure—restricting fuel supplies, disrupting trade routes, and destabilising economies to weaken governments and expand their influence.
“To address this growing crisis, ECOWAS is accelerating the deployment of its standby force, beginning with 1,650 troops and expanding to 5,000 through additional contributions from member states and international partners,” he said.
Despite these measures, Dr. Touray stressed that major obstacles persist. Disjointed national strategies, mistrust among neighbouring countries, weak intelligence-sharing systems, and limited operational coordination continue to undermine regional counterterrorism efforts.
He urged the UN Security Council to back initiatives that rebuild trust, secure sustainable funding, and strengthen collaborative frameworks in the fight against terrorism.
Dr. Touray emphasised that ECOWAS’ success in tackling the escalating insurgency will rely on strong political unity and deeper global partnerships to prevent further deterioration of security across West Africa.
