Abuja, 24th June 2019. The Mediation and Security Council (MSC) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) during its 42nd session on 24th June 2019 in Abuja, Nigeria deliberated on ways to improve the security situation of the region.

Addressing the Council at the opening of the session, the President of the ECOWAS Commission Jean-Claude Kassi Brou 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 called on Member States to implement the Lomé Declaration on Peace, Security, Stability and the Fight against Terrorism and Violent Extremism which was adopted during the joint ECOWAS-Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) summit in July 2018. 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 of borders in the region.

On the political front, President Brou highlighted the ECOWAS Commission’s continuous efforts to support Member States in the conduct of inclusive, transparent and credible elections.

The President 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 Nigeria’s acting Minister for 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.