Chiefs of Defence Staff in West Africa have appealed to Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to return to the regional bloc.
The chairman of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff and the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, made the appeal yesterday while leading the defence chiefs on a visit to the National Coordinator of the Counter-terrorism Centre, Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, in Abuja.
The regional defence chiefs said their return was necessary to defeat the insecurity ravaging the West Africa region, especially insurgency.
General Musa stated that efforts were ongoing on their part to ensure that the three countries were back to ECOWAS, adding that all hands must be on deck to curtail insecurity in West Africa.
He said, “For us, we feel without security, there can’t be progress. And the threats we are facing, especially on insurgency, are high, and we think it’s very, very important that we need to partner together to achieve success. No country can do it alone, and that’s why it’s important.
“We know we have three countries that have decided to step aside. We’re making all efforts to ensure that they come back to the fold because we know even they, on their own, they cannot withstand this. And we know the relevance that if they fall, it will also drag us down.
“And that’s why it’s important for us as West Africans to continue to work together. I appreciate the National Coordinator for doing a wonderful job. He just came in in April, and there’s so much that has taken place, and that is something we’re very proud of.”
The CDS said the insurgency in the region was spreading wide and fast and urged the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs to leave no stone unturned to curb the menace.
In a related development, President Bola Tinubu has said ECOWAS would continue to persuade the military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to return their nations to the fold.
President Tinubu, who is the chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, reaffirmed this position at a meeting with ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff on Friday in Abuja.
‘’It is in our hearts to make sure that security is enhanced and that constitutional government is defended and promoted in our region.
‘’It has been a challenging tenure for me since three members indicated their exit. We will work hard to persuade them to return, whichever way.
‘’No one man is smarter than the group of heads that is here. We will do everything to offer a hand of friendship to them and give them reasons to come back to us,’’ the President in a statement by Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale said.
The ECOWAS chairman commended the defence chiefs for their commitment to regional stability and protection of constitutional governance.
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