Nigeria seeks closer ECOWAS, Sahel ties to fight terrorism

Nigeria's Defence Minister Christopher Musa has urged closer collaboration between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to combat terrorism, insurgency, and transnational crimes in the region. During a working visit to Cotonou, Benin Republic, Musa emphasized the need for an inclusive and coordinated regional response to address West Africa's complex security challenges.

He called on ECOWAS and AES leadership to find common ground to curb the spread of insurgency across land borders and enhance maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. Both blocs, which include Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, face common security threats such as terrorism, violent extremism, insurgency, arms trafficking, and other cross-border crimes.

Despite political differences, including a recent exit of three Sahel countries from ECOWAS, Nigeria and the AES share a common goal of insulating land borders from insurgent spillover and strengthening security in the region.