The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intends to raise $2.4 billion to fund a backup counter-terrorism force.
Abdel-Fatau Musah, the bloc’s commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at a three-day conference of the ECOWAS training centres of excellence.
The three institutes of excellence are the National Defence College in Nigeria, Ghana’s Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, and Mali’s Ecole de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beye.
During the African high-level counter-terrorism summit last month, President Bola Tinubu urged for the formation of a regional standby force to combat terrorism on the continent.
Tinubu stated that the standby force might function as a rapid deployment mechanism, capable of quickly responding to what he described as an imported evil.
Speaking on the proposal, Musah said the bloc has resolved to establish the standby force.
The commissioner said:
“This is the decision, and in the coming weeks, ECOWAS has already with the Chief of Defence Staffs, developed operational modalities, the concept of operations and everything for us to aggregate.”
“It will be something like an advanced rapid reaction force of a battalion that will be able to confront terrorists’ bases.”
He explained that as part of the resolution granting heads of state authority, $2.4 billion will be raised to fund the ECOWAS standby force.
“The Heads of State have decided that in the first year, we must raise about 2.4 billion dollars to support the operation of this force to face the terrorists.”
Musah stated that the resolution required member states to contribute one billion dollars to begin the force’s operations, and that sub-regional military and finance ministers will convene to discuss funding options.
The commissioner also lauded Nigeria’s efforts to degrade terrorist group Boko Haram “to the extent that they do not pose a long-term threat to Nigeria’s peace and security.”
Mali, which had declared its exit from ECOWAS, was absent from the conference.
