Formulating relevant recommendations to better address Security and Humanitarian challenges in the ECOWAS region
10 Dec, 2025The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone and Chairman of the Mediation and Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at ministerial level, Musa Timothy Kabba, has reaffirmed zero tolerance for military coups in the West African region.
In his speech at the opening of the 55th ordinary meeting of the Council on Tuesday, 9th of December 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria, he said that the regional organisation will not and cannot accept the undermining of constitutional order in its member states, referring to the coup d’état in Guinea-Bissau on 28 November 2025 and the foiled coup in Benin on 7 December 2025.
“During this meeting, we must take decisions that will give hope to our peoples and credibility to our institutions, and that will also contribute to maintaining regional peace and stability,’’said Musa Timothy Kabba.
Like Mr Kabba, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, also condemned the coups, which he said threatened peace, security and stability in West Africa.
He welcomed the swift response by Nigeria and ECOWAS to the appeal by the Beninese authorities to crush the attempted coup in their country.
He deplored the persistence of military interventions in Guinea-Bissau and Benin in recent days, the failure to comply with transition standards in Guinea with the transformation of a military leader into a civilian leader, and the growing erosion of electoral inclusiveness in several states.
“Elections have become a major factor of instability in our Community. Despite all the efforts made by our Community to establish principles of constitutional convergence and put in place a programme to support elections in our region with a view to preserving our democratic credibility and stability, we continue to witness political practices that violate these principles,” lamented Dr Omar Alieu Touray.
He also emphasised the growing influence of terrorists, armed groups and criminal networks that threaten regional stability. To this end, he called for negotiations on the terms of security cooperation between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) because, he said, “we continue to see the devastating effects of terrorist groups along our borders with them.’’
In addition to political and security issues, Dr Touray drew the attention of Council members to the alarming humanitarian figures for the community, with families, women and children bearing the brunt of the instability.
According to him, data from the Regional Office for West and Central Africa of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicate that in October 2025, approximately 7.6 million people were forcibly displaced in the West African region, an increase from the 7.4 million people registered in March 2025.
Dr Omar Alieu Touray also did not overlook the case of the 1,094,742 refugees and asylum seekers, calling on Council members to take decisions and measures to reverse this trend.
He expressed his conviction that, thanks to their unwavering commitment to the items on the agenda of their 55th meeting, informed and constructive recommendations will be brought to the attention of the next session of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
Several topics are on the agenda for this 55th meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at ministerial level. These include issues related to the political, security and humanitarian situation in the West African region. Ministers will hear presentations on trends and developments in the region, the latest news on the transition process in Guinea and the state of democracy in the ECOWAS area.
This session will also examine the report of the 43rd meeting of the Mediation and Security Council at ambassadorial level. It will also enable Council members to follow up on the commissioning of National Early Warning and Response Centres in ECOWAS member states and to receive information on the consultation process ahead of the special summit on the future of regional integration in West Africa.
It should be noted that the Mediation and Security Council brings together the ministers of foreign affairs and defence of ECOWAS member states. It plays a key role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts at the regional level.
