West African Defence Chiefs Urged to Uphold Democratic Values
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called on ECOWAS Defence Chiefs to always uphold democratic values, warning that military takeovers in some West African countries have created unintended consequences and threatened democratic values in the region.
Musa made this appeal at the 42nd Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff in Abuja on Wednesday. He emphasized that the threat of military takeover must be destroyed, as it negates the core values and responsibilities of the military profession.
The meeting, held at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, had regional security as one of its agenda items. The defence chiefs discussed ways to tackle terrorism through effective collaboration to combat the illicit movement of small arms and light weapons in the West African sub-region.
However, the meeting was attended by only 8 out of the 15 defence chiefs expected, with those from Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Togo absent. This comes at a time when the ECOWAS bloc is considering the establishment of a force to counter security challenges.
The defence chiefs had previously agreed to a comprehensive and holistic approach towards political, security, and diplomatic dimensions in addressing the situation in Niger Republic at their previous meeting in August.
The military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger had earlier set up a mutual defence pact, leaving the ECOWAS bloc in January. In July, the three countries’ leaders took part in the first summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), set up after pulling out of ECOWAS. Their exit from ECOWAS was fuelled in part by their claim that Paris was manipulating the bloc and not providing enough support for anti-jihadist efforts.
As the region continues to grapple with security challenges, it remains to be seen whether the defence chiefs will heed Musa’s call to uphold democratic values and work together to address the region’s security concerns.
