The President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS), Omar Touray, has warned that terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel has escalated to a level that poses an “existential threat” to the region.
Naija News reports that Touray issued the warning while briefing the United Nations Security Council during its 10,047th meeting on regional counterterrorism efforts.
According to a statement by ECOWAS on Friday, Touray told the Council that terrorists are now waging “economic warfare” by disrupting fuel supply chains, trade routes, and critical infrastructure across multiple member states.
“This wave of attacks is no longer confined to physical violence alone. It is now targeted at the economic lifelines of our region,” he warned.
Touray said ECOWAS is rolling out a range of stabilisation programmes, including efforts to rebuild trust with former member states Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which recently exited the bloc after a string of military coups.
He also highlighted measures to address the socio-economic drivers of extremism.
The statement added, “Touray outlined ECOWAS’ kinetic and non-kinetic measures, including the accelerated operationalisation of the ECOWAS Standby Force.”
He reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to working closely with the UN, African Union and other partners to safeguard regional security.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also addressed the Council, expressing concern over the worsening humanitarian and security situation in the Sahel.
He stressed the urgent need for coordinated regional and international action to halt the spread of extremist groups.
Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Maada Bio, who chaired the meeting in his capacity as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, described terrorism as a global problem requiring “renewed cooperation and collective resolve.”
Extremists Pushing Toward Coastal States
Extremist violence in West Africa has intensified over the past decade as jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS expanded from northern Mali into Burkina Faso and Niger.
By the early 2020s, Burkina Faso had become one of the world’s deadliest terrorism hotbeds, with attacks increasingly spilling toward coastal states such as Benin, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.
Regional efforts were further weakened by military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea, which disrupted ECOWAS coordination and created security vacuums.
The withdrawal of major international missions, including France’s Operation Barkhane and the UN’s MINUSMA, removed key support just as extremist networks broadened their reach.
In response, ECOWAS said it is fast-tracking plans to deploy a regional standby counterterrorism force. The mission will begin with 1,650 personnel, expanding to 5,000 troops as more support becomes available.
Touray said the deployment marks a decisive step to “restore stability and protect millions of lives” endangered by the growing wave of terrorist attacks across the region.
