A state of emergency has been imposed by Dr. Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, in response to growing acts of terrorism and violent extremism, military takeovers, banditry, and political unrest throughout the subregion.
Touray made this announcement on Tuesday at the Ministerial level of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council’s (MSC) 55th Ordinary Session in Abuja.
He claimed that the past few weeks’ events had demonstrated the necessity of serious reflection on democracy’s future and the pressing need to make security investments in the subregion.
He claims that country-by-country evaluations of member states reveal varying levels of risk throughout the subregion, ranging from high to medium, with an average of high risk, necessitating prompt and coordinated action.
Given the circumstances, it is safe to proclaim a state of emergency in our town.
“We need to give these threats the consideration they require.”
In order to do this, the mediation and security council meetings should be held more frequently than the two regular meetings during the course of the following year.
“To combat the dangers of terrorism and banditry, which disregard national borders, we must pool our resources.”
He stated, “Therefore, we need to make choices and take actions that will stop this trend.”
Despite this, Touray claimed that elections in the subregion had emerged as a significant cause of instability.
ECOWAS’s best efforts to protect its stability and democratic credentials while establishing principles of constitutional convergence.
According to the emergency, he stated that in order to provide direction and facilitate regional action, the MSC must continuously assess the political and security landscape in West Africa.
In light of the disastrous effects of terrorism along their shared borders, he stated that ECOWAS must also engage in negotiations with its Alliance of Sahel States (AES) neighbors, particularly with reference to their security cooperation.
“Elections in Guinea, the Republic of Benin, the Gambia, and Cape Verde will take place in the days and months leading up to next year.
He stated, “We will also be handling the aftermath of the coup in Guinea-Bissau and the coup attempt in the Republic of Benin.”
According to the commission’s head, West Africa faced humanitarian issues as well, with women, children, and families suffering the most from unrest.
According to him, as of October 2025, there were about 7.6 million people who had been forcibly relocated throughout West and Central Africa, up from 7.4 million in March.
According to Touray, who cited information from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 6,506,270 of this total were internally displaced people (IDPs), with Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali having the biggest numbers.
There are 1,094,742 refugees and asylum seekers in addition. The 10 nations with the biggest populations of asylum seekers are Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Senegal, and Gambia, in descending order, according to an examination of the distribution of these individuals.
“I want to reassure the residents of our community that we will not stop working. For the benefit of all community members, we will keep putting up more effort to advance a stronger, more peaceful, and stable region.
“Let us all continue to be dedicated to upholding the Community’s Constitutional Convergence Principles, promoting peace, and maintaining regional unity,” he declared.
Timothy Kabba, the Chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs for Sierra Leone, said that the sub-region’s growing political and security unrest jeopardized democratic governance and undermined public trust.
“It seems sense that our citizens are nervous. They are looking to us for leadership that turns commitment into action, not simply for words of care.
“Our resolutions need to be more than just words; our people are tired of unfulfilled promises. They anticipate purpose, togetherness, and seriousness,” he continued.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the meeting’s objective was to assess the political and security environment in the subregion in order to create strategic plans to deal with new issues.
As the Senate grants Tinubu’s request to send troops to the Republic of Benin
In the meantime, President Bola Tinubu’s request to send Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin for a peacekeeping mission in the wake of last Sunday’s abortive coup was given expedited approval by the Senate on Tuesday at plenary.
The upper legislative chamber’s approval came after Tinubu’s letter was considered by the Committee of the Whole, which unanimously approved the deployment and provided parliamentary support for the regional security intervention.
Senator Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, called the decision a positive move, pointing out that instability in any neighboring country puts the entire area at risk.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” he remarked.
During the plenary, a letter sent by Tinubu to the Senate President was read.
The President claims that the letter was sent in response to the Republic of Benin’s request for extraordinary aviation help from Nigeria’s military following an attempt by troops to depose President Patrice Talon.
Citing Section 30(5), Part II of the 1999 Constitution (as modified), Tinubu claimed to have conferred with the National Defense Council prior to sending the request.
He pointed out that authorization of a regional peacekeeping mission now required Senate approval.
Benin faces “an attempted unconstitutional seizure of power and the destruction and destabilization of democratic institutions,” according to President Tinubu, who called on the Senate to move quickly.
According to the current security arrangements of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), he continued, Nigeria has a historical obligation to assist Benin.
He claims that in order to help restore stability and stop further disintegration of order, “urgent external intervention” is necessary.
The request was then sent to the Committee of the Whole by the Senate President for prompt review.
Recall that on Sunday, soldiers working under the “Military Committee for Refoundation,” under the command of Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri, briefly took control of the state television station in Cotonou and declared the overthrow of President Patrice Talon’s administration. However, President Tinubu’s troops and fighter jets intervened to prevent the coup.
