President Akufo-Addo has admonished member states of ECOWAS to help deal with security threats in the sub-region.
In his address at the 59th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS held in Accra, the President said it would be important for leaders to be guided by the agreement reached in 2019 to address terrorism, extremism and instability in the region.
According to him, ECOOWAS is still confronted with serious security challenges with deadly terrorist attacks and kidnappings, not only in the frontline countries, namely Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger but also in the coastal countries of our Region, such as Cote d’Ivoire.
”Recently, the terrorist attack, which resulted in the death of some one hundred and thirty-two (132) civilians, including children, in Burkina Faso, on 5th June, is the latest such outrage. I went, in the name of the Community, to Ouagadougou, on Wednesday, 9th June, to commiserate with President Roch Marc Christian Kabora, and offer our condolences, sympathies and support to the Government and people of Burkina Faso in their dark hour.
He continued: ”Excellencies, these developments should reinforce our collective commitment to pursue and implement, with renewed vigour, the decisions taken at our Extraordinary Summit on Terrorism on 14th September 2019. This concerted effort, which must be a major issue and a priority objective for the Community, is the best way for us to address this security challenge. It is a matter of dignity and sovereignty, which affects all nations in the Region. None of our countries is insulated from the threats of terrorism.
I hope we can agree quickly on these matters so that we will have the time to delve into and take decisions on the great issues, which face us, of terrorism, violent extremism, democracy, peace and security, health and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid economic recovery of our Region from the effects of the pandemic,” he added.
