Member countries of the Economic Community of West African States -ECOWAS- will commit a billion dollars to fight terrorism in the region, over the five years to come. This was one of the major highlights of the Heads of State’s summit held September 14 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
In addition to countries threatened within the region, the 2020-24 program will also focus on Mauritania and Chad. It includes 8 key points, all of which are expected to speed up anti-jihadism efforts through better communication between the States and capacity building for relevant administrations. With their strategy, the West African nations want to strengthen the actions of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, and spot the sources of terrorist financing including drug trafficking.
This announcement is welcomed in a context of growing terrorism towards the countries of the Gulf of Guinea. Last May, two French tourists and their guide were kidnapped by armed terrorists in northern Benin, a country traditionally not affected by the phenomenon. Three years earlier, terrorism attacks killed 19 in Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire.
Let’s note the amount will be mobilized internally by each country participating in the initiative.
Moutiou Adjibi Nourou