West Africa's ECOWAS looks to regional force as insurgent attacks spike

West African political bloc ECOWAS said on Wednesday that plans to establish a long-awaited "regional counter-terrorism force" are "in full-gear" as the region battles a resurgence of insurgent attacks.

A wave of attacks in Benin and Nigeria has recently tested the region, with insurgents exploiting strained relationships between members of the ECOWAS and Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, who withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States at the beginning of the year.

With insurgent groups in the Sahel active across porous border areas, the withdrawal has hobbled intelligence and collaboration between regional militaries.

"Countries have indicated their preparedness to contribute troops," ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray said in an interview with broadcaster France 24 published on Wednesday.

Source of funding

"Our ministers for finance and defence are expected to meet before mid-June so that they will determine the source of funding for our regional counterterrorism force."

Nigeria's Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru said in March that the force would "ensure the safety and security of our citizens."

More than 100 people were killed in April alone by insurgents in northeastern Nigeria, in attacks on local communities and military bases. Continued assaults this month have left little room for respite.

Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents have also intensified attacks on military targets on neighbouring Benin, killing 54 soldiers last month.

Alliance of Sahel States

Benin's government blames attacks on its territory on a spillover of violence from Niger and Burkina Faso, which are both battling long-running insurgencies.

Touray said strained relationships between ECOWAS and the junta-led governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – who have formed their own bloc called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – are hampering regional security efforts.

In March, Niger withdrew from a joint task force it had formed with Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad to combat insurgents around Lake Chad – disrupting cross-border patrols and intelligence sharing.

"It is a major source of worry for us because we believe disunity will make it difficult for us to collaborate to fight insecurity, including terrorism," Touray said.

Regional security

"Even if (the AES countries) have decided to stay out of ECOWAS, there should still be a way for us to collaborate to maintain regional security."

According to the Global Terrorism Index, the Sahel region was the world's epicentre for extremist violence in 2024, accounting for half of all extremism-related deaths.