{"id":25274,"date":"2022-12-06T10:22:27","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T10:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/ecowas-leaders-agree-to-create-regional-force-against-jihadism-and-coups"},"modified":"2022-12-06T10:22:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T10:22:27","slug":"ecowas-leaders-agree-to-create-regional-force-against-jihadism-and-coups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ecowas-leaders-agree-to-create-regional-force-against-jihadism-and-coups","title":{"rendered":"Ecowas leaders agree to create regional force against jihadism and coups"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States had decided to act to \u201ctake care of our own security in the region\u201d, Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, told journalists at a summit in Nigeria.<\/b><\/p>\n

They are \u201cdetermined to establish a regional force that will intervene in the event of need, whether this is in the area of security, terrorism and restore constitutional order in member countries,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso have all been hit by military coups in the last two years.<\/p>\n

Several countries in the region are also suffering from the spread of jihadism, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and southwards to the Gulf of Guinea.<\/p>\n

National armies, largely powerless against the jihadist forces operating across borders, have been cooperating with external actors such as the UN, France and Russia.<\/p>\n

But Touray said this decision would \u201crestructure our security architecture\u201d.<\/p>\n

The modalities of the planned regional force will be considered by defence chiefs in the second half of 2023, Touray said.<\/p>\n

The funding of the force must also be decided, but the ECOWAS official stressed that such an operation could not be solely dependent on voluntary contributions.<\/p>\n

Pressure on Mali<\/b><\/p>\n

Addressing another regional problem, the West African leaders told Mali\u2019s ruling junta to release 46 Ivorian troops it has held since July.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ask the Malian authorities to release the Ivorian soldiers by January 1, 2023 at the latest,\u201d said Touray, at the Abuja summit.<\/p>\n

The Gambian diplomat said the West African bloc reserved the right to act if the soldiers were not released by January 1.<\/p>\n

If Mali fails to do so, ECOWAS will impose sanctions, a West African diplomat told AFP.<\/p>\n

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe, who has been mediating between Mali and Ivory Coast on the issue, will travel to Mali to \u201cdemand\u201d the release of the soldiers, the diplomat added.<\/p>\n

The Ivorian troops were arrested on July 10 on their arrival at the airport in Mali\u2019s capital Bamako.<\/p>\n

Ivory Coast says the troops were sent to provide backup for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, and are being unfairly detained.<\/p>\n

Mali says the troops are mercenaries and has placed them in custody on charges of attempting to harm state security.<\/p>\n

ECOWAS had decided at an extraordinary summit in September to send a high-level delegation to Mali to try to resolve the crisis. But no progress was reported from this mission.<\/p>\n

Coup-hit nations<\/b><\/p>\n

The West African leaders, concerned about instability and contagion, have been pressing for months for the quickest possible return to civilian rule in the three countries which have undergone coups in recent years.<\/p>\n

Mali and Burkina Faso have both been severely shaken by the spread of jihadism.<\/p>\n

All three countries have been suspended from the decision-making bodies of ECOWAS.<\/p>\n

Leaders of the military juntas have pledged, under pressure, to step down after two years, allowing for a transition period during which they all say they want to \u201crebuild\u201d their state.<\/p>\n

ECOWAS has been looking to see what progress each nation has been making towards restoring constitutional order.<\/p>\n

In Mali, \u201cit is essential that constitutional order returns within the planned timeframe\u201d, said Touray.<\/p>\n

If Mali\u2019s military meets the announced deadline of March 2024 \u2014 after months of confrontation with ECOWAS and a severe trade and financial embargo that has now been lifted \u2014 the \u201ctransition\u201d will in fact have lasted three and a half years.<\/p>\n

Touray urged the junta in Guinea to involve all parties and civil society in dialogue \u201cimmediately\u201d on the process of restoring civilian rule.<\/p>\n

The main political parties and much of civil society there have been boycotting the authorities\u2019 offer of dialogue.<\/p>\n

As for Burkina Faso, Touray expressed ECOWAS\u2019s \u201cserious concerns\u201d about the security situation and the humanitarian crisis there, while pledging support for the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ask the Malian authorities to release the Ivorian soldiers by January 1, 2023 at the latest,\u201d Omar Alieu Touray, president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) commission, told journalists at a summit in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Gambian diplomat Touray also said the West African bloc reserved the right to act if the soldiers are not released by January 1.<\/p>\n

If Mali fails to do so, ECOWAS will impose sanctions, a West African diplomat told AFP.<\/p>\n

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe, who has been mediating between Mali and Ivory Coast on the issue, will travel to Mali to \u201cdemand\u201d the release of the soldiers, the diplomat added.<\/p>\n

The Ivorian troops were arrested on July 10 on their arrival at the airport in Mali\u2019s capital Bamako.<\/p>\n

Ivory Coast says the troops were sent to provide backup for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, and are being unfairly detained.<\/p>\n

Mali says the troops are mercenaries and has placed them in custody on charges of attempting to harm state security.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States had decided to act to \u201ctake care of our own security in the region\u201d, Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, told journalists at a summit in Nigeria. They are \u201cdetermined to establish a regional force that will intervene in the event […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":25273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,7],"tags":[2355,2361,260],"class_list":["post-25274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","category-head-lines","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-gambia","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nEcowas leaders agree to create regional force against jihadism and coups - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/ecowas-leaders-agree-to-create-regional-force-against-jihadism-and-coups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ecowas leaders agree to create regional force against jihadism and coups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Gambia. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States had decided to act to \u201ctake care of our own security in the region\u201d, Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, told journalists at a summit in Nigeria. 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