ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has declared a state of emergency across the region amid rising political instability, military interventions, and worsening security threats.
ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Touray, made the announcement on Tuesday during the 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level in Abuja, stressing that recent developments demand “serious introspection on the future of our democracy and urgent investment in the security of our community.”
Addressing ministers, diplomats and senior officials, Touray warned that West Africa’s political climate had deteriorated sharply, with member states now recording an average “high-risk” rating in country-by-country security assessments.
He explained that the risk level was driven by several factors: persistent military interventions including the latest incidents in Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Benin failure to comply with transition timelines in Guinea, shrinking electoral inclusivity, the expanding influence of terrorists and armed groups, and intensifying geopolitical pressures affecting regional cohesion.
Touray described elections as “a major trigger of instability” and noted that recent attempted coups, as well as ongoing engagements with the Alliance of Sahel States, make a coordinated regional security response urgent.
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“Faced with this situation, Excellencies, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency,” he declared.
He called for more frequent meetings of the Mediation and Security Council in the coming year, urging member states to pool resources to combat terrorism and banditry that ignore national borders.
Touray also highlighted worsening humanitarian conditions. Citing recent UNHCR data, he said that as of October 2025, West Africa hosts about 7.6 million forcibly displaced people, including more than 6.5 million internally displaced persons.
Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have the largest displaced populations, while Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo host the most asylum seekers.
“We must therefore take decisions and actions that will reverse this trend,” he warned.
Despite the challenges, Touray reassured citizens of ECOWAS’s commitment to peace, stability and constitutional order. He also welcomed newly appointed ministers attending their first council meeting, including Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Rtd. General Christopher Musa, and Cabo Verde’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Luis Livramento.
Speaking at the same session, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Council of Ministers, Timothy Kabba, urged decisive action to protect democratic governance amid worsening political instability.
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Kabba cited recent crises in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted coup in the Benin Republic as “sobering reminders of the fragility of democratic gains.”
He noted his recent diplomatic mission to Guinea-Bissau on December 1, 2025, which helped ease tensions and reopen dialogue under ECOWAS guidance.
“These actions reflect our collective position. ECOWAS cannot and will not accept this development. They undermine everything our community stands for,” he said.
He urged the ministers to move beyond reaffirming principles and to produce concrete decisions that restore confidence in ECOWAS institutions.
“Our people no longer have patience for commitments that remain unfulfilled,” Kabba added.
The meeting precedes the summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, where leaders are expected to deliberate on the Council’ recommendations as West Africa faces escalating unrest.
Several ECOWAS member states including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso remain under military rule, while Guinea-Bissau was recently destabilised by a military intervention.
The attempted coup in Benin on Sunday further underscores the fragility of democratic governance.