Abuja, 12 April 2019. A delegation of African and foreign officers from the International War College in Yaounde Cameroon was on a visit, this Thursday 11 April 2019, to the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, Nigeria.

Major General Isaïe Ngambou expressed satisfaction at the visit which followed the one made to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Our objective was to provide our trainees with the opportunity to gain first-hand information on the decision-making process of the AU regarding the African Standby Force, and on conflicts currently managed by the AU. Bolstered by this visit to the AU, we decided to stop over at the ECOWAS headquarters in Abuja, as a continuation of the Addis Ababa tour, our initial stop”, he stated.

Subsequently, the Head of the Regional Security Division, ECOWAS Commission, Col. Abdourahmane Dieng, underscored the obvious importance of the event as a forum for exchange between trainees of the International War College in Yaounde and officials of the ECOWAS Commission.

On behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, General Francis Awagbe Behanzin, he thanked officers in charge of the college for the visit to the ECOWAS Commission which he considered as a significant step towards the completion of the training programme.

It was an opportunity to remind his guests of the role the regional institution plays with regard to the promotion of peace in the region.

“Though at creation in 1975, the aim of ECOWAS was to promote cooperation and integration leading to an economic union of West Africa, it is clear that the organisation quickly adopted a new framework and three-pronged approach: peace, stability and economic development”, explained Col. Abdourahmane Dieng.

In addition to the usual speeches, there were three presentations on the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, the ECOWAS Standby Force, and the security situation in West Africa.