DZWatch Exclusive: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has issued a stark warning about the escalating security crisis in the Sahel region, stating that a failure to decisively combat terrorism risks transforming the area into a permanent haven for extremist groups.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, the current ECOWAS chairman, delivered the sobering assessment during a special session of the United Nations Security Council. The session focused on strategies to bolster peace and stability in the Sahel and West Africa. President Bio emphasized the urgent need for a tripartite pact between ECOWAS, the UN, and the African Union. This pact would serve as a unified mechanism for coordination in security, governance, and humanitarian efforts.
According to President Bio, such a pact would allow the Alliance of Sahel States, comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, to complement international efforts rather than compete with them, particularly in the face of growing security challenges. He highlighted a worrying trend: armed groups in the Sahel often possess more sophisticated weaponry than national armies. These groups exploit the region’s geography to establish safe havens, launch multiple fronts, disrupt trade routes, and attack regional defenses.
While acknowledging the importance of military intervention, the ECOWAS chairman stressed that it is insufficient on its own. He called for enhanced cooperation in intelligence sharing, surveillance, and air transport to address persistent capability gaps within Sahelian armies.
Addressing the sensitive political climate, President Bio affirmed that recent political transitions in the region should not impede security cooperation. He reiterated that ECOWAS remains open to the three nations that previously withdrew from the organization. “The door is always open for dialogue and collaboration,” he stated.
Recent ECOWAS data paints a grim picture, revealing that between January and November 2025, the Sahel experienced 450 terrorist attacks, resulting in over 1,900 fatalities. This underscores the severity of the deteriorating security situation in the region. In August, the West African body agreed to accelerate the deployment of a regional reserve force to counter these escalating threats.
