The ECOWAS Commission sounded the alarm on Monday in New York over the rapid rise of terrorism now affecting the whole of West Africa, with more than 1,900 people killed since January 2025.
The organisation is calling for a collective awakening and predictable funding for counterterrorism operations.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) warned on Tuesday that terrorism is spreading across the entire region, adding that more than 1,900 people had been killed since the start of 2025.
Addressing the UN Security Council, ECOWAS Commission President, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, stressed that extremist violence is no longer confined to the Sahel or the Lake Chad Basin.
“All of West Africa is now affected,” he said.
According to him, ,armed groups, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Islamic State in the Sahel, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram and Lakurawa are gaining mobility and firepower overwhelming national defence forces.
The organisation’s early-warning mechanisms have recorded 450 attacks since January, reflecting a sharp escalation in terrorist activity across the region.
Dr Touray also condemned what he described as an “economic war” waged by armed groups, who control access to fuel and disrupt commercial flows in territories under their influence.
In recent months, JNIM has imposed an embargo on several localities in Mali and carried out attacks on fuel convoys from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, leaving Bamako and other Malian cities struggling with shortages.
In Nigeria, the situation has worsened, with the kidnapping of several schoolgirls on Tuesday and the killing of multiple soldiers and an officer during attacks by ISWAP militants.
In response to the intensifying threats, ECOWAS has begun expanding its Standby Force, with troop numbers expected to increase from 1,650 to 5,000, supported by member states and international partners.
However, the Commission President deplored the fragmentation of counterterrorism initiatives and a climate of mistrust that hampers regional cooperation.
Three Sahel countries Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025, accusing the bloc of being influenced by France.
He urged the Security Council to support efforts to rebuild confidence ensure stable funding for operations and strengthen coordination on the ground.
The warning comes as extremist groups extend their operations far beyond their traditional strongholds, further destabilising an already fragile security environment in West Africa.
DM/ac/lb/gik/APA