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ECOWAS initiates plan to mitigate consequences of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger withdrawal
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has initiated a contingency plan to mitigate unforeseen consequences of the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from the regional bloc.
The Commissioner, Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, stated this at the meeting of ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Musah said the formal withdrawal of the three countries from ECOWAS on January 29 required critical analysis of the security arrangement within West Africa and the Sahel.
He called on the ECOWAS defence chiefs to critically examine the implications of their withdrawal on regional security in the course of their deliberations.
According to him, the Central Sahel continues to be the epicentre of insecurity while the littoral states continue to bear the pressure.
READ ALSO: ECOWAS Court dismisses case on Kudirat Abiola’s assassination
He said: “According to the Global Terrorism Index, Sahel accounted for 51 per cent of global terrorism deaths in 2024.
“Weak governance, ethnic tensions and ecological degradation have fuelled terrorism, worsened by transnational jihadist groups and geo-political competition.
“The Alliance of Sahelian States is changing alliances by removing western involvements in security and economic sectors and withdrawing from ECOWAS.”
Musah stressed the need for concerted effort to strengthen shared aspirations for a peaceful, secured and prosperous ECOWAS region.
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