The Economic Community of West African States has said the military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were fuelling insecurity in the region.

The ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Touray, made the disclosure in his welcoming address at the 51st Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at Ministerial Level in Abuja, yesterday.

A coup d'etat was launched in Burkina Faso on January 23, 2022, in Mali on May 24, 2021, and in the Niger Republic on July 26, 2023.

Touray noted that the overall security environment in the region has continued to be challenged.

He said: "On the political front, the transition roadmaps and timetables agreed with the transition authorities in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso for rapid and peaceful restoration of constitutional order have been implemented at varied paces amid worsening security situations.

"The attempted coup d'état in Niger has further distracted attention from the support to these transition processes as the transition countries seek to forge solidarity with the military authorities in the Republic of Niger, thereby, creating an impression of a divide between them and ECOWAS."

Touray noted that these military coups were not only "based on fake narratives and false justifications, they are also a driver of insecurity in the region." To drive home the gravity of the insecurity to which military coups contribute from January 1 to October 23, 2023, the president said: "In just Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, a total of 4.8 million people face food insecurity, 2.4 million people are internally displaced, and close to 9,000 schools remain closed.