Again, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Shun ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff Meeting

Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja

The Chiefs of Defence Staff from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger once again shunned the 42nd ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff Meeting, holding at Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in Abuja.

Also conspicuously absent, were the Chiefs of Defence Staff, from Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Cape Verde, and Togo.

Acknowledging their absence in the all-important sub regional meeting, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Christopher Musa said, “if you look at the flags, they represent all the ECOWAS countries, and we are hopeful that they will show up”.

The three West African countries under military dictatorship had since formed their own regional economic bloc, code named, Alliance of Sahelian States (AES).

Announcing their withdrawal from ECOWAS, the three military dictators gave reasons for exiting the bloc, like Mauritania did in years past.

The military junta in a statement observed that the (ECOWAS) organization has drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism, hence their withdrawal.

This is as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, raised alarm over proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa, insisting that the situation is exacerbating security threats in the sub region. He emphasized the urgent need to halt the continued proliferation weapons.

In his welcome address, the CDS, General Christopher Musa, urged the ECOWAS Committee of Chief of Defence Staff to harness their collective wisdom, experience, and determination to advance the security agenda of ECOWAS and ensure a safer and more secure future for the region.

He however emphasized the need for the military to uphold democratic values in line with their various constitutions. He disclosed that it was on the premise of the above that the agenda for the meeting was carefully crafted to focus on critical areas to build on previous engagements.

According to him, some of these critical areas include the proposed ECOWAS security support mission in Sierra Leone, and the activation of the ECOWAS standby force against terrorism.

Musa added that other issues in line for deliberations are the development of the ECOWAS logistics depot in Sierra Leone and ECOWAS peace support operations.

In his goodwill message, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, said the illicit movement of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) in West Africa has reached alarming levels.

He said: “We must therefore, develop new mechanisms to complement the existing ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons to effectively prevent further proliferation of these weapons.

“I urge the committee to formulate recommendations to tackle this menace. Rest assured that once your recommendations are presented to the Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial Level, they would also receive the highest priority”.

He urged the top military leaders in the sub region to reflect on the use of non-kinetic approach to complement the kinetic efforts to address the security challenges in the region.

This, he said, includes the adoption of technology, intelligence sharing, improving joint military operations, strengthening our border controls and the building of trust and cooperation between the military and the citizens of the community.

Tuggar concluded that the security of individual countries in West Africa is inextricably linked to the collective security of the region.

In his keynote address, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, said

the level of security threats in West Africa requires concerted and unified response. He noted that it is only through collective resolve and shared expertise that West Africa can effectively address the issues and work towards lasting solutions.

His words: “Having accessed the dynamism of threats within the sub region, Africa and globally, the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff, is now more critical than ever, hence we must continue to foster greater collaboration amongst our armed forces, share vital intelligence and coordinate our strategies to address the common threats.

“Our ability to operate as a cohesive and responsive force is essential for maintaining regional stability.”

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Sen Ahmed Lawan, promised to ensure that Nigeria’s contributions to ECOWAS in terms of funding is approved by the Nigerian Parliament.

According to him, we have internal and unique challenges but we are also bounded together by some security challenges that transcend national boundaries.

The former senate president said: “Even within our nations, we still need the support of each other especially security issues that are militating against our stability.

“We need to ensure that democracy continues to flourish in our sub region. We must never get tired of doing whatever we need to do to endure that democracy is returned to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger”.