The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) says it aims to accelerate the implementation of the common peace and security policy to strengthen regional integration in the face of rising cross-border threats.
The officials affirmed on Friday at the opening of the 7th meeting of the High-Level Committee on Peace and Security in Dakar that the ministers of the UEMOA High-Level Committee on Peace and Security emphasized the need for a more coordinated community response to the deteriorating security situation within the community, marked by terrorism, organized crime, illicit trafficking, and border insecurity.
The President of the UEMOA Commission, Abdoulaye Diop, reiterated that “the issue of peace and security is crucial for the economic and social development of member states” and now constitutes “an absolute priority” for the Union.
“No sustainable economic integration is possible without a solid foundation of peace and stability,” he declared, stressing that current threats transcend national borders and necessitate strengthened regional cooperation.
Since the previous ministerial meeting, held in Dakar in November 2023, the Commission has launched several structuring projects, including the computerization and interconnection of border police posts.
It has also launched a program to combat the proliferation of small arms and improvised explosive devices in border areas, as well as a project aimed at strengthening the resilience of populations living in these areas.
Abdoulaye Diop further announced the development of a White Paper on the Peace and Security Initiative, presented as a strategic document intended to adapt the Union’s actions to new security threats.
Presiding over the opening ceremony on behalf of the Senegalese Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the Chairman of the High-Level Committee, the Senegalese Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs, and Senegalese Abroad, Cheikh Niang, stated that “the threats we face are multiple, evolving, and interconnected” and require “a coordinated, concerted response based on mutual trust.”
The minister reaffirmed that Senegal places “peace, security, and regional cooperation” at the heart of its foreign policy, recalling that “no development can take lasting root in an environment weakened by insecurity, violence and social divisions.”
He welcomed the progress made in implementing the WAEMU Peace and Security Programme, particularly the operationalization of the early warning and monitoring mechanism and the deployment of the project to interconnect border police posts, while calling for continued efforts to combat the illicit trafficking of weapons and to support border populations.
The ministers are to review the status of implementation of the decisions adopted at the previous meeting, assess the evolving security situation in member states, and approve a progress report on the implementation of the Peace and Security Initiative, with a view to defining new actions to strengthen the stability of the community area.
ARD/te/Sf/fss/gik/APA