ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council Reviews Security Threats and Early Warning at 43rd Session in Abuja, Nigeria
The 43rd Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the Ambassadorial level convened today at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, bridging together Permanent Representatives of Member States alongside senior officials from the Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and Early Warning Directorates.
In a decisive assessment of the state of democracy, security and humanitarian conditions across West Africa, the Council reviewed regional political developments, examined updates on the operationalisation of National Early Warning and Response Centres, and deliberated on preparations for the forthcoming Special Summit on the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa.
Representing ECOWAS Commission President, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, warned that insecurity across the sub-region has reached a disturbing threshold. He urged ambassadors to prioritise fast-tracking the activation of the regional counter-terrorism force, following recent agreement on funding mechanisms sourced from ECOWAS member states themselves.
In his opening address, Chair of the MSC and Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to Nigeria, H.E. Julius Sandy, described the current moment as “critical,” citing the announced withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from ECOWAS and the severe pressures of rising insecurity, governance breakdowns, and intensifying humanitarian crises.
Ambassador Sandy maintained that only decisive, united, and urgent collective action by West African states can reverse destabilisation trends and restore confidence in regional cooperation.
The Mediation and Security Council is expected to transmit key recommendations from today’s session to ECOWAS heads of state as the region prepares for strategic decisions on the future of integration, stability, and peacekeeping in West Africa.
