By Bilkis Abdulraheem Lawal
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Alieu Omar Touray, has sounded a stark warning that terrorism has expanded far beyond the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, posing a grave security threat to all West African states.
Speaking in New York during a United Nations Security Council session on strengthening regional cooperation against terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, Dr Touray revealed that early-warning systems had recorded 450 terrorist attacks and more than 1,900 deaths in 2025 alone.
He explained that extremist groups are now waging what he described as “economic warfare”, deliberately restricting fuel supplies and crippling trade routes across the subregion to weaken governments and destabilise communities.
In response to the escalating threat, ECOWAS is fast-tracking the deployment of its standby force. The initial mobilisation will comprise 1,650 personnel, with plans to scale up to 5,000 troops with the support of member states and international partners.
Dr Touray stressed that fragmented national efforts, mistrust among states and weak coordination continue to undermine the regional response. He appealed to the Security Council to support measures that rebuild confidence, guarantee predictable financing and strengthen collective action to halt the spread of terrorism across West Africa.
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