By Victoria Ojeme

ABUJA: President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Jean-Claude Kassi Brou wants member states to implement the Lomé Declaration on Peace, Security, Stability and the Fight against Terrorism and Violent Extremism.

The declaration which was adopted during the joint ECOWAS-Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) summit in July 2018 seeks to foster security of lives and property within the region.

He stressed the need for ECOWAS to consider other patterns of relationships and strengthen cooperation with geopolitical blocs with which it shares the same vulnerabilities given the transnational nature of security threats and the porosity borders in the region.

Addressing the Council at the opening the session particularly the meeting of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC), the President of the ECOWAS Commission stated that the greatest challenge facing the region today and thus holding back economic, social and human advancement, is the issue of regional security.

“Almost every month, our region is hit by terrorist attacks which plunge our populations into mourning. The problem has become more complex with ruthless inter-communal clashes that pose a threat to the social cohesion of our countries”, he said.

President Brou noted that the ECOWAS Commission’s continuous efforts to support Member States in the conduct of inclusive, transparent and credible elections.

He presented to the council Memorandums on the Political and Security situation in the region which included the status of the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB) and the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) as well as one on the issuance of ECOWAS Exemption Certificate by the President of the Commission in case of “extreme” emergency.

In addition, the Council was briefed on the report of the 3rd June 2019 MSC Ambassadorial level meeting by Ambassador Babatunde Nurudeen.

The Chairman of the MSC and Permanent Secretary of the Nigeria Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mustapha Suleiman noted significant milestones towards the strengthening of democracy, peace and stability in the region.

In the area of security, the Chairman proclaimed that “ECOWAS has taken concrete steps through increased engagement with its Member State in tackling security threats in the region, in particular terrorist insurgency in the Sahel, and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which have been major concerns”.

The Mediation and Security Council is made up of ECOWAS Member States’ Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence.