The Economic Group of West African States (Ikewas) has agreed to activate a safeguard force to combat terrorism and joint security challenges in the region.
The activation of power was announced during the 43rd summit of the group’s staff leaders, which started on March 11 in Abuja and lasted 3 days.
The decision to activate the reserve force responsible for terrorism was implemented by the recommendations and proposals made to the group in August 2024.
The chiefs of the general staff of the armies in the countries of West Africa participated in the summit, the chief of staff of the reserve force of the Ikewas group, General Syriaki Aknijiium, and the commissioner for politics, security and peace in the group, Dr Abdel Fattah Moussa.
The meeting has also experienced a number of military operations leaders and some accredited security experts in the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
During the opening ceremony, the Minister of Defense in Nigeria called Daru Abu Bakr to activate resources and improve defense against terrorist threats in the West African region.
Eikwas’s security commissioner Abdel Fattah Moussa said that regional security had been threatened with growing terrorist groups, violent movements of extremism and crossed crimes.
The gap of the coast
Moussa called for the need to focus on the defensive structure in the light of the regional political situation which changed after the withdrawal of the three coalitions of the Ikewas coalition and its establishment “a special confederation”.
The coalition of coastal countries announced in early January the formation of a joint military force of 5,000 soldiers to fight terrorism and security threats in the Sahara and the Sahel.
Commenting on the creation of power, the Minister of Niger of Defense, Salivo Modi, said that the presence of the joint army on the ground had only become a matter of time.
Moody added that the new force is characterized by air defenses and information, and will operate throughout the Sahel region.
Since the three countries announced their release from ICASA, they participated in an open confrontation with terrorist groups and armed separatist movements.
The Sahel region is classified as an objective of terrorist movements in the West African region, because it finds in its large desert the opportunity to move and spread.
The total area of the Sahel countries reached 2.8 million square kilometers, or 56% of the total area of EKWAS countries of 5 million square kilometers.