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West African countries have agreed to form a strong force to battle the increasing number of terrorist attacks and insurgent groups in the region.
Diplomatic and military sources told AFP on Tuesday that the countries arrived at this decision during a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) military chiefs in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, on February 28 and March 1.
Insurgents affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have carried out numerous deadly attacks in the Sahel, a region that cuts across Africa, separating the continent’s north from its sub-Saharan part.
The terrorist groups are active in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, three junta-led countries that left ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States, also known as the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).
Officials told AFP that the three junta-led countries will not participate in the new force.
The 12 member-states that make up ECOWAS have discussed the idea of establishing a force to combat the terrorism that plagues the region over the years.
The military source who spoke to AFP said the initial goal is to have around 2,000 troops ready to fight “terrorism and insecurity” across West Africa.
Another source noted that military chiefs “painted a worrying picture of the regional security landscape”. Discussions, however, are ongoing on how to finance the force.
“The discussions focused on the rise of the terrorist threat, the expansion of transnational organised crime, and the persistent challenges related to maritime insecurity,” the source said.
According to an official Sierra Leonean source, the troops of the new force will remain stationed in their countries of origin, with Sierra Leone serving as the group’s logistical base.
