The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has again expressed disappointment over the exit of Niger Republic, Mali and Burkina Faso from its fold.
It lamented that the exit of the three countries generated unintended consequences by undermining of coordination and cooperation against terrorism in the sub-region.
The Commissioner for political affairs, conflict and security, ECOWAS, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, stated this at Defence Headquarters, Abuja, during 42nd ordinary session of the committee of ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff.
Abdel-Fatau Musah acknowledged that holding the meeting two years after the 41st session was due to some developments in the sub-region which required extraordinary political interventions.
According to him, the 42nd meeting was inevitability late as a result of the acute political development that occurred in the sub-region, including the cascading coups and the announced withdrawal of the alliance of the Sahelia States from ECOWAS.
The commissioner disclosed that when the three states were engaged, they cited the imposition of what they termed as "inhumane sanctions for their withdrawal".
"The exit of these countries from ECOWAS after almost five decades of diplomatic, political and security cooperation will eventually generate unintended consequences on the security front.
"Such a withdrawal will inevitably undermine coordination and cooperation in the fight against terrorism, mandatory and transnational organized crime in our region, which situation compels this gathering to also focus deliberations on the reassessment of our peace and security booster going forward," he said.
He called on the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs to finalise the planning of the deployment to stabilise Sierra Leone and the operationalisation of the ECOWAS Logistics Depot at Lungi in the Republic of Sierra Leone.
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"It is my fervent hope that deliberations and recommendations of this meeting will further energize and galvanize the region to give further impetus to ongoing uncertain actions to strengthen our collective resolve for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous ECOWAS suit," the envoy added.
On his part, Nigeria's Minister Of Defence, Abubakar Badaru called for strengthening of the cooperation for peace, security and stability of the region.
"As we develop new military strategies and coordinate regional security, ensuring peace, stability and effective responses to emerging threats; your capacity to devise solutions is more essential than ever.
"As we strive to protect our security and uphold the maintenance of regional peace, stability and security as inclusively stated under the fundamental principles of the Air Force," Badaru said.
He further called on the region's top military echelon to deeply reflect on the rapidly evolving complex security situation, adding that "the threats we face are multi-faceted, ranging from violence, terrorism and insurgency to organized crime and piracy."
