The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has recommended the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force amid growing insecurity in the region.

This recommendation is among others put forward by a sitting of the Parliament’s Joint Committee on Political Affairs and the APRM, alongside committees on Legal Affairs, Trade, and Social Development, held in The Gambia.

The sitting also proposed enhanced intelligence-sharing through regional centers and a security cooperation framework with the withdrawing states, particularly to address terrorism threats in coastal regions.

The meeting reviewed the political, economic, social, and humanitarian impacts of the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the West African bloc. The Parliament urged member states and the ECOWAS Commission to pursue diplomatic engagement with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, including bilateral talks using sub-regional bodies such as OMVS and Conseil de l’Entente. To maintain channels of engagement, the Parliament proposed establishing an inter-parliamentary dialogue platform and involving non-state actors in mediation and outreach missions.

On operational reforms, the Parliament advised the ECOWAS Commission to initiate bilateral agreements with the withdrawing states, particularly on free movement, trade facilitation, digital car insurance systems, and border monitoring.

Also proposed were the creation of a regional humanitarian emergency fund, conducting an audit of ECOWAS operations, and revision of key legal instruments to refocus on integration and economic development. The Parliament also called for the revision of immigration protocols and a region-wide public education campaign on citizens’ rights and mobility under the evolving political landscape.

Meanwhile, a member of the Nigerian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, Zainab Gimba, in a motion of urgent importance, moved for the intervention of ECOWAS in the security of citizens of the Community. The motion was moved Thursday, during the ongoing First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.

Gimba called for an urgent resolution to be passed by the parliament to endorse the dialogue that has been opened with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, with a view to reintegrating them into ECOWAS security frameworks to support a collaborative security effort for the acceleration and full operationalization of the Accra Initiative and the ECOWAS Standby Force, in line with its 2020-2024 action plan to combat terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel.

The lawmaker also called for a resolution to be passed to urge ECOWAS member states to commit to improved funding of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad basin, and the deployment of rapid-response forces to high-risk zones across the Sahel and coastal West Africa, in a bid to counter the threat of terrorism and insurgency into new territories. Gimba also urged the parliament to strengthen the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) to anticipate, track, and disrupt arms trafficking routes and insurgent migration patterns and preempt threats for early mitigation.

In another development, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, urged stakeholders and media practitioners in West Africa to pay less attention to the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), stressing that focus should be on economic development.

He admonished stakeholders to pay more attention to the remaining twelve member states and how they can develop critical sectors with policies and programs such as the West African Power Pool, ECOWAS Trade Liberalization scheme, Abidjan-Lagos corridor, Abidjan-Dakar corridor, and others that will enhance the development of the region. The Minister made the admonition when he received a delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament, led by the Speaker, Memounatou Ibrahima, in his office in Abuja on Friday, as part of a bilateral partnership to strengthen democratic governance in West Africa ahead of the 25th anniversary of the ECOWAS Parliament in November, later this year.

He expressed optimism that the three Sahel countries that pulled out following disagreements with ECOWAS over military coups, will soon see reasons to return to the regional bloc, noting that the ECOWAS Parliament is the embodiment of the “representation of the citizens of the member states and demonstrates commitment towards constitutional and democratic governance.”

“We will continue to work hard towards the success of ECOWAS and the success of the member-states will encourage the countries to come back. As we keep saying we have not closed the door on their return, we are confident that they will return because they are part and parcel of the region. It is just a matter of time.”

Tuggar said that although the three countries have exited the regional bloc, Nigeria and other countries within the region will continue to relate with them as neighbors and work together in certain areas for mutual benefits.