The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says West Africa remains the most stable of Africa’s regional economic blocs despite growing threats from terrorism and violent extremism.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
Musah said violent extremism and terrorism had posed serious threats to the region but had not led to its disintegration because of preventive mechanisms established by ECOWAS member states.
He attributed the relative stability of the sub-region to cooperation between ECOWAS and the African Union (AU), particularly through the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA IV), supported by the European Union (EU).
According to him, APSA IV, alongside the African Governance Architecture, provides key continental frameworks for promoting peace, security, conflict prevention and good governance.
He said the frameworks had supported the implementation of the ECOWAS Protocol on the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, adopted in 1999.
Musah also highlighted the role of EU support in strengthening ECOWAS institutions, developing human capacity and improving peace and security mechanisms across West Africa.
“ECOWAS maintains peace training institutions and centres of excellence in the sub-region, and holds capacity-building training for citizens, civil society organisations and others in conflict prevention and crisis management,” he said.
The commissioner identified the ECOWAS Early Warning System as one of the major beneficiaries of the APSA IV framework, saying it had helped the region identify and defuse tensions before they escalated into major conflicts.
He added that the programme had also supported research, training of trainers, election assistance, peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
Musah said ECOWAS was currently supporting research into the impact of misinformation and disinformation on peace and security in the region.
ECOWAS Counterterrorism Brigade
The commissioner identified terrorism and violent extremism as the most serious security threats confronting West Africa, warning that allowing terrorism to persist could undermine regional integration.
He said the threat prompted ECOWAS to establish a Counterterrorism Brigade expected to comprise about 1,500 personnel under the broader framework of the APSA IV and the ECOWAS Standby Force.
Musah said ECOWAS had remained committed to its principles despite predictions that the regional bloc would collapse amid political and security challenges.
“There were many predictions that ECOWAS was going to implode, while more and more countries were going to withdraw, but we stuck to our principles,” he said.
He maintained that West Africa had remained relatively stable compared with other parts of the continent.
“West Africa today is the most stable region among all the regions in Africa,” he said.
According to him, while terrorism remains a major challenge, the sub-region has not experienced an ongoing interstate war comparable to conflicts in parts of North, Central and East Africa.
He cited Sudan, South Sudan, Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as examples of countries facing serious armed conflicts.
ECOWAS Seeks Stronger Regional Integration
Musah said ECOWAS had also developed several frameworks that could serve as models for other regional economic communities in Africa.
He said the bloc’s recent adoption of the Compact of the Future of ECOWAS would help shape the next phase of regional integration and strengthen the organisation’s ability to anticipate and address emerging challenges.
“There are things you cannot prevent; they cannot occur. You know, solution through anticipation. And this is what I think the Compact on the Future of regional integration is all about,” he said.
The commissioner stressed that stronger early-warning mechanisms, institutional capacity and preventive diplomacy would remain critical to sustaining peace, security and regional integration in West Africa.
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