The Permanent Mission of ECOWAS to the African Union (AU) participated, through its Political Adviser, in the 6^th Meeting of the African Union Permanent Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR), held on the 5^th and 6^th of November 2026, at the African Unions headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Bringing together the African Union Commission, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Regional Mechanisms (RMs), as well as various United Nations (UN) entities, this session focused on four strategic priorities: assessing the progress of RECs for 2026, strengthening regional coordination, identifying new threats linked to the use of emerging technologies and raising awareness for adopting a common African position ahead of the major global consultations in 2027.

One major point caught everyone’s attention during the discussions: the meeting strongly regretted the lack of engagement at the continental level on the issue of ammunition, due to the absence of a global consensus, which contrasts with the significant progress already made by some Regional Economic Communities.

On this matter, the ECOWAS Political Advisor sounded the alarm, pointing out insistently that the lack of a continental agreement on ammunition control will inevitably hinder the African Union’s ambitious program to ‘‘Silence the Guns” by 2030. He reminded everyone that strict ammunition management remains the essential link to cutting off the supply fueling conflicts.

At the end of two days of intensive work, the participants came up with the following recommendations: Actively support a common African position at the 2027 international events; Integrate new technologies into capacity-building programs for field actors; Anticipate innovative security risks linked to the misuse of these new technologies; Rally for sustainable and predictable funding for ALPC and DDR initiatives; and Create a review group to expand the Committee’s mandate to cover new threats.

The ECOWAS Permanent Representation reaffirms its commitment to take these conclusions forward and to collaborate with the African Union and the United Nation to turn these guidelines into concrete actions.