ECOWAS Announces Rapid Intervention Force Of 260,000 Troops To Fight Terrorism

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) ALGIERS, Aug 27 (KUNA) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced on Wednesday a plan to activate a rapid intervention force of 260,000 troops, aimed at strengthening counterterrorism efforts in a region facing security challenges. The initiative requires an annual budget of USD 2.5 billion.
The announcement was made by ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, during a summit of African Chiefs of Defense in Abuja, on behalf of ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Touray.
Musah explained that the force will provide logistical and financial support to frontline states. He noted that ECOWAS finance and defense ministers are scheduled to meet in Abuja on Friday to finalize funding mechanisms, stressing that the initiative has become an urgent necessity in light of the region's asymmetrical security threats.
He confirmed that the force will operate in coordination with the African Union's standby force under the African Peace and Security Architecture, pointing out that the Sahel has become a global terrorism hotspot, accounting for 51 percent of terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2024.
He further noted that women, children, and local communities are the most affected by the state's retreat in the face of armed groups, while the war economy fueled by illegal mining and unlawful taxation is worsening the crisis.
Musah also called on the United Nations to support counterterrorism operations in the region, recalling UN Security Council Resolution 2719 of December 2023, which pledged to finance 75 percent of Africa-led peace support missions. (end)
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