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ECOWAS Seeks $2.4 Bln for Creation of Counter-Terrorism Standby Force, Commissioner Says

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The commissioner's remarks came during the opening of a three-day consultative meeting of the commandants of the three designated ECOWAS Training Centers of Excellence in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. Three centers of excellence are located in Nigeria, Ghana and Mali.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is working to build a counter-terrorism force to combat security threats in West Africa, for which it plans to raise $2.4 billion, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said.

"This is the decision, and in the coming weeks, ECOWAS has already, with the Chiefs of Defense Staff, developed operational modalities, the concept of operations and everything for us to aggregate. It will be something like an advance and rapid reaction force of a battalion that will be able to confront terrorists’ bases. The Heads of States have decided that on the first year, we must raise about $2.4 billion to support the operation of this force in order to face the terrorist," the commissioner said, as quoted by the local media.

He emphasized the gravity of the terrorist threat in the region, with Burkina Faso surpassing Afghanistan as the most terror-prone state.

"If you look at our region, it is being ravaged by terrorists. Today, Burkina Faso has overtaken Afghanistan as the most terrorized state on Earth, and Africa has become home to terrorist organizations," Musah pointed out.

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He added that if terrorists establish an advanced base in any country in the region, "no country will be safe."
However, the ECOWAS commissioner said that Nigeria has been able to make gains against terrorists who "have been degraded to the extent that they no longer pose a sustained threat to the peace and security of Nigeria."
Earlier, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called for the creation of a regional anti-terrorism center in Africa that would serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and capacity building across the continent.
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