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.