Dr. Alieu Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, has cautioned that terrorism has spread beyond the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, posing a threat to the entirety of West Africa, with early-warning data indicating 450 attacks and over 1,900 fatalities in 2025.
Dr. Touray spoke in New York, United States, during discussions at the United Nations Security Council on strengthening regional cooperation in the fight against terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel.
He noted that Extremist groups are also waging “economic warfare” by restricting fuel and crippling trade across the subregion, stressing that , In response, ECOWAS is accelerating deployment of its standby force, starting with 1,650 personnel and scaling up to 5,000 with regional and partner support.
He cautioned that fragmented efforts and mistrust hinder cooperation and urged the Council to help rebuild confidence, secure predictable financing and strengthen coordinated regional action.
