Omar Alieu Touray, ECOWAS Commission president
The president of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, delivered a stark warning to the United Nations Security Council, stating that terrorism has evolved from a regional crisis to an “existential threat to the whole of West Africa.” The briefing came as a devastating attack in Niger provided grim evidence supporting the assessment, revealing the severe challenges facing regional security forces.
The president, addressing the council on the theme “Peace Consolidation in West Africa,” revealed that from January to November 2025, approximately 450 terrorist incidents were recorded across West Africa, resulting in close to 2,000 deaths. While the central Sahel accounted for about 80% of all incidents and over 85% of total fatalities, he warned that “the whole West Africa region remains exposed to the threat.”
The urgency of his remarks was highlighted by a complex attack in Niger recently, where fighters of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara killed at least 17 soldiers of the Nigerièn National Gendarmerie. The assault on a security position in Garbougna, located along the Terra-Niamey axis, involved heavily armed militants who overwhelmed the post with a combination of direct fire, improvised explosive devices and manoeuvre tactics.
A preliminary casualty report from the Niger attack indicated that 17 personnel, including the team leader, a captain, were killed, while 34 others sustained serious injuries. Several soldiers were also reported missing. The attackers destroyed multiple operational vehicles, seized military equipment and weapons before withdrawing, demonstrating the tactical proficiency and resourcefulness of the terrorist groups.
The ECOWAS Commission president detailed a shift in terrorist strategy beyond mere violence, describing a new form of “economic warfare.” He reported that terrorists are now “restricting the supply and distribution of vital commodities such as petrol,” a tactic that “disrupts regional trade, slows down economic activities, and inflicts serious hardship on the populations.”
In response to the escalating threat, ECOWAS defence and finance ministers recently met to agree on the activation of a regional standby force. The plan involves starting with a brigade of 1,650 personnel and gradually increasing it to 5,000. The ministers also agreed on a funding mechanism consisting essentially of own resources as well as support from partners and the UN under Resolution 2719.
Touray called for “flexibility and strong commitment to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of Resolution 2719,” noting this is essential to guarantee that African peace missions, “generally known for their rapid deployment capability, are sustained and will not transition and become UN Missions.
The regional response involves multiple initiatives, including the Accra Initiative, Nouakchott Process and the Multi-National Joint Task Force, some of which have achieved important results. However, the proliferation of initiatives has created challenge, Touray said. “The proliferation of initiatives has resulted in multiplicity and fragmentation of efforts,” according to him. “It has also caused problem of coordination, inclusion and ownership.”
To address this, Touray said ECOWAS proposes to coordinate the various initiatives and use them as operational frameworks to streamline efforts, facilitate inclusion and promote ownership.
A fundamental obstacle identified in the briefing was the issue of trust among member states. “Trust is needed for countries to collaborate in information and intelligence sharing, joint border patrols or joint operations,” he stated. “Unfortunately the situation in our region is characterised by mistrust and high level of suspicion amongst stakeholders, including political leaders.”
He called on the Security Council and the international community to help build trust, asserting that “no amount of money, and no amount of equipment will help us overcome terrorism if we don’t collaborate and build synergy, and this can happen only if we build trust.”
In a major development, Touray reported that ECOWAS and the AES states – the Alliance of Sahelian States comprising Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso – have agreed to maintain the status quo with respect to trade and free-movement of people in the region, pending the conclusion of a new agreement. The three countries have also indicated their intention to remain members of some ECOWAS agencies, notably the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID).
Membership in GIABA is particularly important for counter-terrorism efforts focused on cutting funding to terrorist groups. Touray outlined the resource mobilisation schemes of the terror groups, which include illicit resource extraction, kidnapping for ransom, theft and trafficking, funds from support networks and money laundering, use of cash and informal transfer systems, and use of emerging channels such as cryptocurrencies, mobile money, and online fraud schemes.
Within the GIABA framework, West African states have broadened their counter-terrorism efforts to include measures to cut off terrorist funding. These include building regulatory frameworks in line with the Financial Action Task Force’s 40 recommendations, regional coordination and experience sharing, integration and adoption of global efforts, and operational support to boost enforcement.
In spite of considerable progress, the ECOWAS Commission president noted that “formidable challenges persist, including enforcement capacity deficits, regulatory gaps, border porosity, and chronically inadequate funding.” He highlighted that “the extraordinarily low rate of terrorist financing prosecutions indicates that financiers continue operating with substantial impunity despite improved frameworks.”
The ECOWAS leader reiterated the commitment of regional leaders to strengthening counter-terrorism initiatives consisting of both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches, based on broad collaboration among all stakeholders. He emphasised the critical role of the United Nations and other partners in supporting these regional efforts, as the attack in Niger demonstrated the continued capacity of terrorist groups to inflict significant casualties on regional security forces.
