ECOWAS: PR Defends Creation of Regional Military Force
Today, at the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) meeting, following the confirmation of his re-election as president of the organization, the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, advocated the creation of a regional force to fight terrorism.
“Let me emphasize that a peaceful and secure society is essential to achieving our full potential.”
“we must ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set by our Defense and Finance Ministers.”
Tinubu said at the opening of the 65th ordinary summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government which took place this Sunday in Abuja.
“As we move forward to operationalize the ECOWAS Standby Force against terrorism, I must emphasize that the success of this plan requires strong political will and substantial financial resources.”
The Nigerian President said, asking the countries in the region that includes Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau to raise the 2,6 billion dollars, around 2,4 billion euros, that the organization believes are necessary for the establishment of this joint force.
Tinubu was unanimously elected to continue leading ECOWAS for another year and has been trying to boost regional cooperation against terrorism, after Nigerian groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province expanded their operations to neighboring countries.
The summit took place a day after the presidents of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, who left ECOWAS and created the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States, met in Niamey to formalize the agreement.
“The political landscape remains fragile in some member states, especially those that have undergone unconstitutional changes of government,” Tinubu acknowledged.
Omar Touray also warned of the risk of “disintegration" which represents the decision of those three countries to leave the organization.
“Our people benefit from freedom of movement within our space, as well as from the advantages of our common market of over 400 million people.”
“It is clear that the disintegration will not only disrupt people's freedom of movement and settlement, but will also exacerbate insecurity in the region,” Touray warned.
Earlier, at the opening of the meeting, the President of the ECOWAS Executive Commission had announced the imposition of visa requirements on citizens of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The ECOWAS President also warned that citizens of these countries will not be able to set up companies, as stipulated in the ECOWAS charter, and will be subject to their respective national laws.
Picture: © DR
