ECOWAS Grieves Over Rising Terrorism, Violent Extremism, And Organised Crime In West Africa
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is facing a daunting challenge as the region deals with an increase in terrorism, violent extremism, and organised crime. The escalating threat of these interconnected threats has hampered West Africa’s stability and peace. In recent years, ECOWAS member states have faced a wave of brutal attacks, kidnappings, and the spread of extremist ideologies, creating a climate of fear and insecurity throughout the region. As the cost of human lives and social cohesion continues to rise, ECOWAS finds itself in a state of mourning and urgency, compelled to address these grave issues with robust strategies and collaborative efforts, writes ROLAND OGBONNAYA
West Africa is undoubtedly facing a growing threat from terrorism, violent extremism, and organised crime. The region’s geographical expanse, porous borders, weak governance structures, poverty, and historical grievances have created an ideal environment for these security challenges to thrive. The convergence of these factors has transformed West Africa into a hotspot for various extremist groups and criminal networks, posing serious threats to the region’s stability and development.
Terrorism and violent extremism are on the rise in West Africa, with groups like Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Ansaroul Islam carrying out deadly attacks. These organisations use local grievances, religious tensions, and socioeconomic disparities to recruit disenfranchised youth and establish a presence in vulnerable communities. The spread of radical ideologies, combined with the availability of weapons and funding sources, has allowed these groups to ramp up their operations and pose a serious threat to regional security.
The lack of effective border controls and coordination among West African security forces has allowed these groups to cross national borders, making it difficult to contain their operations. The recent spread of violence from the Sahel to coastal West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria highlights the regional nature of the threat and the need for a coordinated response.
West African organised crime syndicates engage in a variety of activities, including drug trafficking, human smuggling, arms trafficking, and money laundering. These criminal networks frequently work with terrorist organisations, providing logistical support, funding, and access to illicit markets. The lucrative nature of these activities has drawn both local and transnational criminal organisations to the region, exacerbating already existing security concerns.
The role of organised crime in fueling corruption, undermining state institutions, and perpetuating instability has weakened West African governments’ ability to address these complex threats. The involvement of some state actors in criminal activities has hampered efforts to combat illicit networks and hold perpetrators accountable.
The growing threat of terrorism, violent extremism, and organised crime in West Africa has far-reaching consequences for the region’s security and development. These security threats undermine governance, exacerbate intercommunal tensions, disrupt economic activity, and displace indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands.
All of these have concerned Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, who recently expressed concern about the growing threat of terrorism, violent extremism, and organised crime in the West African sub-region.
Speaking at the ECOWAS Parliament’s 2024 First Ordinary Session in Abuja, Ibrahima thanked Almighty God, Creator and Originator of all things, for allowing the parliament to convene at the National Assembly, which serves as a powerful symbol of the Parliament’s commitment to viable and genuine sub-regional integration.
Ibrahima, who stated that the session was taking place in a difficult international context for the entire planet, emphasised that the world had only recently emerged from pandemics and epidemics and was still dealing with several scourges and challenges, including poverty, climate change, the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, and the Middle East conflict, to name a few.
She stated, “Unfortunately, the problems are exacerbated by another phenomenon of staggering proportions in the region: the rise in the threat of terrorism, violent extremism, and organised crime, which is costing the lives of our valiant defence and security forces, as well as thousands of innocent people.”
Ibrahima stated that several member states are facing various political, economic, and security crises, which the 6th Legislature must urgently address, adding that:
“These include the desire expressed by three of our member states to withdraw from the Community, as well as increasing tensions between the Republics of Benin and Niger, not to mention other ongoing concerns in the region such as terrorism, food insecurity, irregular migration, and the negative effects of climate change.”
She stated that the “Kano Declaration” was adopted by Parliament following discussions on a variety of issues.
Highlighting that, through the declaration, the ECOWAS Parliament resolved, among other things, to establish an ad hoc mediation committee to initiate and maintain not only dialogue with the various countries’ authorities but also communication among the various populations.
She also stated that the Parliament resolved to conduct field visits to better understand and resolve disagreements between the two friendly and sister countries of Benin and Niger, as well as to encourage the ECOWAS Commission to accelerate the implementation of the joint defence strategy to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
“I want to assure you that, during its last two meetings, the Bureau of Parliament discussed these recommendations in detail, and that urgent steps are being taken in collaboration with other ECOWAS institutions to implement them,” Ibrahima stated.
In his remarks, President of the ECOWAS Commission Omar Touray stated that, in addition to the numerous threats to peace and security, as well as the challenges of poverty, the West African region is at risk of disintegration.
He said, “As you are all aware, on January 29th, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger informed the Commission of their intention to leave ECOWAS with immediate effect.”
“Our people, the people of West Africa, have been living in an integrated ECOWAS community for several decades. Populations have benefited from freedom of movement within our ECOWAS space and have begun to recognise the benefits of our common market, which allows local products to be freely traded in a market of over 400 million people. In addition, a common passport and a biometric identity card for travel within our community have been established.
“Given these advantages, it is clear that disintegration will disrupt people’s freedom of movement and establishment while also exacerbating regional insecurity. More specifically, the withdrawal of the three aforementioned countries will have a significant impact on security cooperation, particularly in terms of intelligence sharing and participation in the fight against regional terrorism, as well as other joint security initiatives, such as the establishment of the ECOWAS standby force, which our member states’ defence ministers have recently agreed to activate, as well as the Accra Initiative and the Multinational Joint Taskforce,” Touray stated.
Touray also stated that the three countries’ withdrawal could lead to diplomatic and political isolation on the international stage, as they will no longer be able to rely on bloc support when their citizens or candidates run for positions in the African Union, the United Nations, and other organisations.
“This withdrawal will also affect the travel and immigration conditions for citizens of these three countries, who will now need to apply for visas before travelling within the subregion. Citizens of these countries may no longer be permitted to reside or conduct business freely within ECOWAS facilities, and they may be subject to a variety of national laws. Furthermore, these three countries will be required to stop using ECOWAS passports, the ECOWAS biometric national identity card, and the ECOWAS “Brown Card” automobile insurance on a regional level.
“Economically and financially, the three-member states’ withdrawal could mean the cessation or suspension of all ECOWAS projects and programmes in these countries, totalling more than $500 million.
“It is also worth noting that two regional financial institutions, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), have invested heavily in these three countries. EBID currently has 27 projects in these three countries worth approximately 321.634 million US dollars, with 38.1 per cent public sector projects and 61.9% private sector projects. These three countries’ banking portfolios make up approximately 22.5% of the total bank portfolio of the 15 member states. The three countries contributed a combined $33.135 million to the bank’s capital.
“Institutionally, the three countries’ withdrawal will result in the closure of four ECOWAS regional entities in Burkina Faso, two ECOWAS regional bodies in Mali, and one ECOWAS regional office in Niger.” It will also have an impact on the job security of about 130 ECOWAS staff members from the three countries, who are divided as follows: 77 from Burkina Faso, 23 from Mali, and 32 from Niger,” Touray said.
Other international relations experts believe that combating terrorism, violent extremism, and organised crime in West Africa is a complex and multifaceted challenge that will necessitate a combination of security, governance, social, economic, and regional cooperation measures. They identified some effective strategies for addressing these issues, such as improved coordination among intelligence agencies at the local, national, and regional levels. Shared intelligence aids in identifying threats, disrupting terrorist operations, and dismantling criminal networks.
Another goal is to improve the ability of security forces, law enforcement agencies, and judiciaries to respond to security threats and conduct counter-terrorism operations, as well as to foster trust between communities and security forces through community policing initiatives, outreach programmes, and community-led interventions to prevent radicalisation and recruitment by violent extremist groups.
The experts believe that addressing underlying socioeconomic grievances such as poverty, unemployment, corruption, and marginalisation can help to fuel extremism. Promoting social inclusion and providing economic opportunities can help reduce vulnerability to radicalisation while improving border security can prevent terrorists, weapons, and illicit goods from crossing borders. West African countries must work together more closely on border security.
Another strategy is to target the funding sources of terrorist organisations and criminal networks through measures like anti-money laundering regulations, tracking financial flows, and disrupting illicit financing mechanisms while strengthening regional cooperation and collaboration on security issues through organisations like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to facilitate information sharing, joint operations, and capacity.
Combating terrorism, violent extremism, and organised crime in West Africa necessitates a comprehensive and collaborative approach that combines security measures with efforts to address root causes, promote good governance, and strengthen communities.