... defence ministers convene in Abuja to deliberate on standby force budget
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, is considering a $2.6 billion annual budget to establish a regional standby force aimed at countering terrorism and preventing unconstitutional changes of government.
This was disclosed at the bloc's security and finance chiefs' meeting in Abuja today, Thursday.
Nigerian Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, revealed that the proposed force could comprise 5,000 personnel.
However, an alternative plan for a smaller contingent of 1,650 troops at an annual cost of $481 million is also under consideration.
"The financial implications of these proposals are significant," Abubakar stated.
He emphasized the need for a "robust and sustainable resource mobilization strategy" to support the initiative.
Objective
The gathering of ECOWAS Defence and Finance Ministers aims to determine the most effective approach to implement, given the pressing security challenges facing the region.
Abubakar explained: "Our gathering here today is driven by the urgent need to consider the financing options in the memorandum to be presented by the ECOWAS Commission for deploying the proposed regional force."
This move comes in response to the December 2022 directive from ECOWAS Heads of State, calling for urgent action to combat the growing threat of terrorism in West Africa.
"As you are all aware, our region is threatened by insecurity and grave humanitarian challenges," Abubakar noted.
"Terrorism and violent extremism have continued to threaten our collective existence."
President
ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alliou Touray, highlighted the critical nature of the situation.
He noted that the Sahel region has become "the epicenter of terrorism," accounting for over half of all terrorism-related deaths globally in 2023.
"Some of our member-states have become countries with the highest impact from terrorism for the first time, with fatalities increasing by 68%," Touray reported.
He underscored the trans-border nature of the threat and the need for collective action.
According to Touray, "You will all recall that some member states have lost control of important parts of their territories to terrorist groups."
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The ECOWAS boss also stressed the humanitarian impact.
He stated that "A huge humanitarian crisis with millions of internally displaced persons and refugees" has emerged as a result of the ongoing security challenges.
He urged "Honourable Ministers, we have an urgent task to mobilize the financial resources to fund our Regional Action Plan against terrorism.
"More than ever, we are at a pivotal moment in the history of our community to address insecurity and establish a more secure environment for economic growth and development of our community."
