The Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been meeting since August 7 to discuss security issues in the region.
The 42nd ordinary meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) of ECOWAS was held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 7 to 9 August 2024.
The meeting is taking place in a tense regional security context, marked by upsurge in the activities of jihadist groups and organised crimes, particularly in the central Sahel and coastal states.
The main objectives of the meeting are to review the security situation in the region, namely the adoption of the concept of operations for the support mission in Sierra Leone, an update on the activation of the ECOWAS standby force against terrorism, as well as an update on the development of the regional institution’s logistics depot and the rotation of staff officers in the peace support operations division of the community organisation and its standby force.
According to the report by the ECOWAS Commission, a numberof key figures underlined the importance of the meeting during the opening ceremony.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, called for closer cooperation to improve regional defence capabilities, while Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, stressed the need to reposition the defence architecture in the light of the changing political situation.
In his address, General Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff and chairman of the meeting, reaffirmed the armed forces’ commitment to security and democratic governance in West Africa, noting that “security challenges in countries and regions constitute such threats as terrorism, organised crimes, violence and the recently unconfirmed government.”
Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yusuf Tuga, in his speech, said: “The meeting was a further testament of their collective and rescue commitment to secure security and stability of our region, the role of the ECOWAS staff cannot be overstated, as they develop emergency strategies and coordinate regional security and so on, deep stability and effective responses to embodied threats in these kinds of rapidly evolving challenges, the military knowledge and Strategic Foresight are crucial.”
AC/Sf/fss/GIK/APA