Regional Conference: West Africa Launches United Front to Crush Emerging Threats.
By Raymond Enoch.
In a powerful show of unity and urgency, a regional and international stakeholders today kicked off a high-stakes, two-day Regional Conference on Combating Emerging Terrorist Groups and Strengthening Sustainable Security in the ECOWAS Region and the Sahel.
Held at Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Center in Abuja, the landmark event brings together security experts, government representatives, and international bodies to forge coordinated responses to the escalating terrorism threat in West Africa and the Sahel.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Nigeria joined as a key partner, emphasizing the need for collaborative, cross-border strategies in tackling the complex and fast-evolving threat landscape.
> “Terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel is a shared challenge — so must be the solutions,” a UNODC spokesperson said at the opening session.
The conference is expected to produce concrete, actionable outcomes to enhance collective resilience across the region, targeting not just terror groups but also the root causes that allow them to flourish — from poverty and youth disenfranchisement to porous borders and weak institutional frameworks.
As extremist factions continue to morph and spread, experts stress that the time for fragmented responses is over. Regional collaboration, intelligence sharing, and sustainable security frameworks are now top priorities.
This pivotal gathering marks a turning point in how West Africa and the Sahel plan to take back control from terror networks — not as isolated nations, but as a united front determined to secure peace, stability, and progress for all.
