42nd Ordinary Meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

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The ECOWAS Commission is hosting the 42nd Ordinary Meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria from 7 to 9 August 2024. This meeting is being organised against the backdrop of increasing incidents of Terrorist Armed Groups (TAGs) and Violent Extremist Groups (VEGs) activities, Transnational Organized Crimes (TOCs) and cyber misinformation and disinformation that continue to undermine peace and security in the region. Likewise, the Central Sahel has remained the epicentre of TAGs and VEGs, while coastal Member States are grappling with the pressure of terrorists advancing towards the Atlantic Ocean.

The meeting will discuss the overall security situation in the ECOWAS region, in particular the growing threat of terrorism in the region.

Specific objectives of the meeting include the consideration and approval of the CONOPS of the ECOWAS Security Support Mission in Sierra Leone, an update on the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force to combat terrorism, an update on the development of the ECOWAS Logistics Depot, and the rotation of staff officers of the ECOWAS Peace Support Operations Division and the ECOWAS Standby Force.

During the opening ceremony, the Minister of Defence, Mr Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, called on the ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Committee to strengthen their security cooperation to improve their defence capabilities against any security threat. He encouraged open dialogue, shared expertise and joint solutions to strengthen security cooperation and improve regional defence capabilities.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. ECOWAS, Abdel-Fatau Musah, PhD said that the second meeting was implemented as a result of the de facto political development taking place in the region. According to him, the convening of this ordinary session has therefore become important as it will enable them to assess the evolving security environment with a view to repositioning the returned defence architecture and booster to adequately respond to the immediate needs in view of the peace and security agenda in West African regions.

The Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria, General Christopher Musa, who chaired the event, reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the Armed Forces to ensuring security and upholding democratic governance in the West African region. According to him, “security challenges in the countries and regions pose a threat, including terrorism, organised crime, violent and recently unconfirmed over-rule.”

The Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, welcomed the meeting and wished all participants from Member States a successful conduct of the sessions.

Further, Nigerian Foreign Minister, Mr. Yusuf Tuga said: “The meeting is further evidence of their collective and rescue commitment to ensuring the security and stability of our region. The role of ECOWAS staff cannot be overemphasized as they develop contingency strategies and coordinate regional security and so on. Deep stability and effective responses to embodied threats in these kinds of rapidly evolving challenges. Military knowledge and strategic foresight are crucial.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).